Recovery of an Abandoned Singular Infrastructure as a Key Factor for Regional Sustainable Development; A Study Case: “El Caminito del Rey” [“The King’s Little Path”]

Although the realm of sustainable development has been sharply associated with energy savings and a decrease in contamination, the concept deserves a much more comprehensive approach. Sustainable development, as the only respectful and safe way to progress, involves—besides the mentioned rational use of energy and resources—a broad variety of economic, technical, cultural, and behavioral issues. In this context, the total or partial recovery of abandoned singular infrastructure facilities for alternative uses (leisure time activities for human welfare) is to be considered an original, interesting, and efficient approach. In this research, the so-called “El Caminito del Rey” [The King’s Little Path] will be studied as a paradigmatic model of successful achievement. The path is located in Málaga, South of Spain, and was originally built to provide access to a hydroelectric power plant. Due to the construction of new routes, the track and walkways were progressively abandoned. The recovery enterprise was conceived in the framework of circular economy-based planning and with full respect to environmental requirements. The facts and figures that will be presented and analyzed will show that when the project is thoroughly designed and carefully implemented, the rehabilitation of obsolete infrastructure facilities located in natural spaces is suitable, feasible, and profitable. Prudent and rational use of these assets for alternative purposes (human welfare through rural tourism and open-air activities) may be fruitful not only in economic terms but also in environmental, cultural, and social ones. The main objective of the current work is to demonstrate that obsolete abandoned facilities can be rehabilitated into worthwhile amenities that may turn into key factors for the sustainable development of determined rural areas. Moreover, the “El Caminito del Rey” experience could represent a model for similar development projects

Wastewater Treatment by Advanced Oxidation Process and Their Worldwide Research Trends

Background: Water is a scarce resource and is considered a fundamental pillar of sustainable development. The modern development of society requires more and more drinking water. For this cleaner wastewater, treatments are key factors. Among those that exist, advanced oxidation processes are being researched as one of the sustainable solutions. The main objective of this manuscript is to show the scientific advances in this field. Methods: In this paper, a systematic analysis of all the existing scientific works was carried out to verify the evolution of this line of research. Results: It was observed that the three main countries researching this field are China, Spain, and the USA. Regarding the scientific collaboration between countries, three clusters were detected—one of Spain, one of China and the USA, and one of Italy and France. The publications are grouped around three types of water: industrial, urban, and drinking. Regarding the research, 15 clusters identified from the keywords analyzed the advanced oxidation process (alone or combined with biological oxidation) with the type of wastewater and the target pollutant, removal of which is intended. Finally, the most important scientific communities or clusters detected in terms of the number of published articles were those related to the elimination of pollutants of biological origin, such as bacteria, and of industrial nature, such as pesticides or pharmaceutical products

Association between attitudes toward violence and violent behavior in the school context: a systematic review and correlational meta-analysis

Background/Objective Both theoretical proposals and empirical work point to a common concurrence between attitudes toward school violence and violent behavior. Studies often address this issue superficially or within intervention programs. Our objective is to describe the results of a systematic review and to conduct a meta-analysis exploring these associations. Method A systematic review was conducted in the main databases. Effect sizes were calculated and synthesized using random-effects meta-analysis to estimate the relationship between attitudes toward violence and school violence. A meta-regression was performed for the moderator analysis of sex and age. Results The literature search strategy produced 12,293 articles. The review process produced a final result of 23 studies. Our results estimate a significant positive relationship (r =.368 p < .001; 95% CI [.323, .412]) between attitudes toward violence and school violence in children and adolescents. Conclusions This study allows us to quantify with an adequate degree of specificity the attitude-behavior relationship in the school context. These results may facilitate future researchers to design programs that address this specificity in order to improve school climate. More research is needed using validated instruments to further specify the type of attitudes that have the greatest influence on the manifestation of school violence.Antecedentes/Objetivo Las propuestas teóricas y trabajos empíricos apuntan una concurrencia entre las actitudes y la conducta violenta en el contexto escolar. Los estudios suelen abordar esta cuestión superficialmente o dentro de programas de intervención donde se trabajan múltiples variables, existiendo diferencias en la magnitud de esta relación. El objetivo del estudio es describir los resultados de una revisión sistemática y realizar un meta análisis que explore estas asociaciones. Método Se realizó una revisión sistemática en las principales bases de datos. Se calcularon los tamaños del efecto y fueron sintetizados mediante un meta análisis de efecto aleatorio para la relación entre actitudes hacia la violencia y violencia escolar. Se realizó una meta regresión para el análisis moderador del sexo y edad. Resultados La estrategia de búsqueda produjo 12.293 artículos. El proceso de revisión estructurado produjo un resultado final de 23 estudios. Nuestros resultados estiman una relación positiva y significativa (r = 0,368 p < 0,001; 95% CI = [0,323, 0,412]) entre actitudes y violencia escolar en menores. Conclusiones Este estudio permite cuantificar con un adecuado grado de especificidad la relación actitud conducta en el contexto escolar. Estos resultados facilitarían a futuros investigadores plantear programas que aborden esta especificidad para mejorar el clima escolar

A New Multi-Objective Approach for Molecular Docking Based on RMSD and Binding Energy

Ligand-protein docking is an optimization problem based on predicting the position of a ligand with the lowest binding energy in the active site of the receptor. Molecular docking problems are traditionally tackled with single-objective, as well as with multi-objective approaches, to minimize the binding energy. In this paper, we propose a novel multi-objective formulation that considers: the Root Mean Square Deviation (RMSD) difference in the coordinates of ligands and the binding (intermolecular) energy, as two objectives to evaluate the quality of the ligand-protein interactions. To determine the kind of Pareto front approximations that can be obtained, we have selected a set of representative multi-objective algorithms such as NSGA-II, SMPSO, GDE3, and MOEA/D. Their performances have been assessed by applying two main quality indicators intended to measure convergence and diversity of the fronts. In addition, a comparison with LGA, a reference single-objective evolutionary algorithm for molecular docking (AutoDock) is carried out. In general, SMPSO shows the best overall results in terms of energy and RMSD (value lower than 2A for successful docking results). This new multi-objective approach shows an improvement over the ligand-protein docking predictions that could be promising in in silico docking studies to select new anticancer compounds for therapeutic targets that are multidrug resistant.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Traffic Safety Sensitivity Analysis of Parameters Used for Connected and Autonomous Vehicle Calibration

Recently, the number of traffic safety studies involving connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) has been increasing. Due to the lack of information regarding the real behaviour of CAVs in mixed traffic flow, traffic simulation platforms are used to provide a reasonable approach for testing various scenarios and fleets. It is necessary to analyse how traffic safety is affected when key parameter assumptions are changed. The current study conducts a sensitivity analysis to identify the parameters used in CAV calibration that have the highest influence on traffic safety. Using a microsimulation-based surrogate safety assessment model approach (SSAM), traffic conflicts were identified, and a ceteris paribus analysis was conducted to measure the effect of gradually changing each parameter on the number of conflicts. Afterwards, a two-at-a-time sensitivity analysis was performed to explore the influence of simultaneously varying two parameters. The results revealed that reaction time, clearance, maximum acceleration, normal deceleration, and the sensitivity factor are key parameters. Studying these parameters two at a time revealed that low maximum acceleration, when combined with other parameters, consistently resulted in the highest number of conflicts, while combinations with short reaction time always yielded the best traffic safety results. This investigation broadens the understanding of CAV behaviour for future implementation for both manufacturers and researchers.Research Project PID2019-110741RA-I00, funded by the Spanish State Research Agency under Grant MCIN/AEI /10.13039/50110001103

Simultaneous data rate and transmission power adaptation in V2V communications: A deep reinforcement learning approach

In Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) communications, channel load is key to ensuring the appropriate operation of safety applications as well as driver-assistance systems. As the number of vehicles increases, so do their communication messages. Therefore, channel congestion may arise, negatively impacting channel performance. Through suitable adjustment of the data rate, this problem would be mitigated. However, this usually involves using different modulation schemes, which can jeopardize the robustness of the solution due to unfavorable channel conditions. To date, little effort has been made to adjust the data rate, alone or together with other parameters, and its effects on the aforementioned sensitive safety applications remain to be investigated. In this paper, we employ an analytical model which balances the data rate and transmission power in a non-cooperative scheme. In particular, we train a Deep Neural Network (DNN) to precisely optimize both parameters for each vehicle without using additional information from neighbors, and without requiring any additional infrastructure to be deployed on the road. The results obtained reveal that our approach, called NNDP, not only alleviates congestion, leaving a certain fraction of the channel available for emergency-related messages, but also provides enough transmission power to fulfill the application layer requirements at a given coverage distance. Finally, NNDP is thoroughly tested and evaluated in three realistic scenarios and under different channel conditions, demonstrating its robustness and excellent performance in comparison with other solutions found in the scientific literature.This work was supported in part by the AEI/FEDER/UE [Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI), Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER), and Unión Europea (UE)] under Grant PID2020-116329GB-C22 [ARISE2: Future IoT Networks and Nano-networks (FINe)] and Grant PID2020-112675RB-C41 (ONOFRE-3), in part by the Fundación Séneca, Región de Murcia, under Grant 20889/PI/18 (ATENTO), and in part by the LIFE project (Fondo SUPERA COVID-19 through the Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas CSIC, Universidades Españolas, and Banco Santander). The work of Juan Aznar-Poveda was supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte (MECD) through the Formación de Personal Investigador (FPI) Predoctoral Scholarship under Grant BES-2017-08106

Modèles productifs des appellations d’origine protégées en Espagne

El número de Denominaciones de Origen Protegidas de vino ha crecido mucho en España tras la incorporación a la Unión Europea. Nuestro objetivo es identificar modelos productivos diferentes, en función de cómo se combinan los factores de producción. A partir de las estadísticas del Ministerio de Agricultura, se ha construido una base de datos con las variables estructurales más significativas de cada denominación: superficie de viñedo, viticultores y bodegas inscritas; la serie temporal abarca las campañas agrícolas de este siglo. La combinación de factores de producción se expresa mediante dos indicadores obtenidos a partir de dichas variables: el cociente entre superficie y viticultores (tamaño medio de la explotación vitícola) y el cociente entre viticultores y bodegas (polaridad château-cooperativa). Sobre la base de ambos indicadores se ha realizado una clasificación de las denominaciones mediante un análisis clúster. Como resultado, en primer lugar se ha contrastado y evaluado la existencia de grandes diferencias de tamaño entre las denominaciones; en segundo lugar, se han identificado cinco modelos productivos diferentes. De la diversidad observada se concluye que Denominación de Origen Protegida es una figura legal que acoge realidades muy dispares, lo cual puede plantear problemas de gobernanza dentro del sector del vino.The number of wine Protected Designations of Origin has grown a lot in Spain after joining the European Union. Our objective is to identify different production models, depending on how production factors are combined. From the statistics of the Ministry of Agriculture, a database has been constructed with the most significant structural variables of each designation: area of ​​vineyard, vine growers and registered wineries; the time series embraces the agricultural campaigns of 21st century. Combinations of production factors are expressed by two indicators obtained from these variables: the quotient between area and vine growers (average size of the vineyard) and the ratio of vine growers and wineries (château-cooperative polarity). On the basis of both indicators designations have been classified through a cluster analysis. Main findings are: first, the existence of large differences in size among denominations has been contrasted and evaluated; secondly, five different production models have been identified. From the observed diversity, it is concluded that Protected Designation of Origin is a legal entity that overcomes very different realities, which can raise problems of governance within the wine sector.Le nombre d’appellations d’origine protégées du vin a augmenté en Espagne après avoir rejoint l’Union Européenne. Notre objectif est d’identifier les différents modèles de production, selon la combinaison des facteurs de production. D’après les statistiques du Ministère de l’Agriculture, on a construit une base de données avec les variables structurelles les plus importantes de chaque appellation: étendue du vignoble, nombre d’agriculteurs et de vignerons; la série chronologique couvre les campagnes agricoles de ce siècle. La combinaison des facteurs de production est exprimé par deux indicateurs obtenus à partir de ces variables: le rapport entre la surface viticole et le nombre d’agriculteurs (taille moyenne de l’exploitation) et le rapport entre les agriculteurs et les établissements vinicoles (polarité château-coopérative). Sur la base de ces indicateurs les appellations ont été classées moyennant une analyse cluster. On a constaté l’existence de grandes différences de taille entre les appellations et on a identifié cinq modèles de production différents. D’après la diversité observée on conclut que l’Appellation d’Origine Protégée est un instrument juridique qui comprend des réalités très différentes, ce qui peut poser des problèmes de gouvernance dans le secteur du vin

Las Denominaciones de Origen Protegidas del sector del vino en España: análisis comparativo desde la teoría de los mundos de producción

Los indicadores de tipo de tecnología se centran tanto en el grado de generalización del conocimiento necesario para producir como de la escala de la producción, diferenciando entre especialización y estandarización. El tipo de mercado, dedicado o genérico, se aborda mediante indicadores de personalización del producto. Tras analizar una amplia batería de indicadores se ha seleccionado un grupo reducido sobre el que realizar una clasificación en diversas campañas. Como indicador de tecnología se ha empleado el número promedio de viticultores que abastece a cada bodega por el tamaño de la explotación y como indicador de tipo de mercado el tamaño medio de la marca. Una vez realizada la clasificación de las denominaciones respecto a los mundos de producción, se han calculado para cada una de ellas dos indicadores adicionales, relativos al tipo de competencia dominante: precio o calidad. Estos dos indicadores han permitido validar la clasificación y, por tanto, los indicadores empleados en ella, comprobando que se cumplen los postulados del marco teórico: En función de la combinación mercado y tecnología dominante la competencia tiende a centrarse en mayor medida en aspectos relacionados con el precio o la calidad. En base a los resultados obtenidos cabe destacar que dentro de España se observan diferentes tipos de denominaciones, siendo el mundo interpersonal y el industrial aquellos que cuentan con un mayor número de ellas. El mundo del mercado ha ido ganando peso, debido a un aumento de la dedicación en entornos estandarizados. Por su parte el mundo de la innovación cuenta con denominaciones especializadas que abastecen grandes mercados, entre ellas se encuentran denominaciones de gran tamaño y prestigio. En términos generales entre las denominaciones de origen españolas, pese a observarse diferentes estrategias, han ganado peso la especialización y la dedicación desde la campaña de 2001-02 hasta la actualidad. La tendencia hacia una mayor dedicación se ha visto acentuada tras la crisis de 2008. Sin embargo, los movimientos entre mundos de producción no son frecuentes, caracterizándose el sector por cierta estabilidad en su conjunto

Sobre el análisis arqueoastronómico de dos yacimientos tinerfeños y la importancia de los equinoccios en el ritual aborigen

Se describe una nueva metodología para la medida y el análisis preciso del horizonte astronómico que rodea a yacimientos arqueológicos. Este método se ha aplicado a la estación de cazoletas y canalillos de Barranco de la Tapia (Candelaria) y la estación de grabados rupestres de La Pedrera (Punta del Hidalgo, San Cristóbal de La Laguna), situadas ambas en Tenerife y con una posible significación cultual. Hemos encontrado que el orto u ocaso del Sol en los equinoccios se produce en las zonas más llamativas del horizonte de ambos yacimientos, una relación astronómica que ya se había encontrado en otros sitios arqueológicos del Archipiélago. Se propone que la importancia ritual del equinoccio (o de una fecha muy cercana a éste, especialmente el punto medio temporal entre ambos solsticios) podría tener su origen en el Norte de África preislámico, donde se han encontrado unas relaciones astronómicas muy similares a las descubiertas en lugares de culto prehispánicos de las Islas Canarias en los últimos años.We describe a new method to obtaining and analysing precise measurements of the astronomical horizon around archaeological sites. We have applied this method to the rock engraving stations of Barranco de la Tapia (Candelaria) and La Pedrera (Punta del Hidalgo, La Laguna), both located in Tenerife Island and of possible cultual significance. We have found that the sunrise or sunset at and around the equinoxes takes place on striking zones of the horizon in both sites. This kind of astronomical relation has been found in some archaeological sites in other islands of the archipelago. We propose that the ritual importance of the equinoxes —or a date very close to the equinoxes, as the temporal mid-point between solstices— could have been originated in pre-Islamic North Africa, a zone with archaeoastronomical findings strongly similar to those discovered in religious precincts of the Canary Islands

Autismo y migración: inclusión por educación por la diversidad

[ES] Una familia que se enfrenta a un diagnóstico de trastorno del desarrollo de un niño, a veces necesita migrar en busca de respuestas de intervención y seguimiento de sus hijos. Debido a que vivimos en un mundo global, estas situaciones son cada vez más recurren- tes. Es importante reflexionar sobre esta realidad y las dificultades experimentadas por las familias en este proceso. La inclusión de estas familias y sus hijos es siempre un gran reto, ya que necesitan condiciones especiales. La escuela y la educación juegan un papel clave en la inclusión. En esta comunicación presentamos el caso de tres familias que migraron de Angola a Portugal con niños autistas. Este artículo tiene como objetivo reflejar sobre las dificultades experimentadas, las respuestas encontradas y la importancia de la educación en su inclusión y los desafíos de la educación y la diversidad en la inclusión. [EN] A family that deals with a child’s development disorder diagnosis sometimes need to migrate to find answers, interventional responses and follow-up appointments. Since we live in a globalized world, these situations happen often. It´s important to reflect about this reality and all the obstacles these families face in the process. The inclusion of these families and the diagnosed children is always a big challenge, since they require special conditions. The school and educational services have a key role in their inclusion. In this communica- tion, we present three case studies that migrated from Angola to Portugal with their ASD children. The difficulties they faced, the responses and the importance of the educational service in their inclusion. The challenges of education and the diversity in the inclusion