Is the Voter Model a model for voters?

The voter model has been studied extensively as a paradigmatic opinion dynamics' model. However, its ability for modeling real opinion dynamics has not been addressed. We introduce a noisy voter model (accounting for social influence) with agents' recurrent mobility (as a proxy for social context), where the spatial and population diversity are taken as inputs to the model. We show that the dynamics can be described as a noisy diffusive process that contains the proper anysotropic coupling topology given by population and mobility heterogeneity. The model captures statistical features of the US presidential elections as the stationary vote-share fluctuations across counties, and the long-range spatial correlations that decay logarithmically with the distance. Furthermore, it recovers the behavior of these properties when a real-space renormalization is performed by coarse-graining the geographical scale from county level through congressional districts and up to states. Finally, we analyze the role of the mobility range and the randomness in decision making which are consistent with the empirical observations.Comment: 13 pages, 13 figure

Bimanual robot control for surface treatment tasks

This is an Author's Accepted Manuscript of an article published in Alberto García, J. Ernesto Solanes, Luis Gracia, Pau Muñoz-Benavent, Vicent Girbés-Juan & Josep Tornero (2022) Bimanual robot control for surface treatment tasks, International Journal of Systems Science, 53:1, 74-107, DOI: 10.1080/00207721.2021.1938279 [copyright Taylor & Francis], available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/00207721.2021.1938279[EN] This work develops a method to perform surface treatment tasks using a bimanual robotic system, i.e. two robot arms cooperatively performing the task. In particular, one robot arm holds the work-piece while the other robot arm has the treatment tool attached to its end-effector. Moreover, the human user teleoperates all the six coordinates of the former robot arm and two coordinates of the latter robot arm, i.e. the teleoperator can move the treatment tool on the plane given by the work- piece surface. Furthermore, a force sensor attached to the treatment tool is used to automatically attain the desired pressure between the tool and the workpiece and to automatically keep the tool orientation orthogonal to the workpiece surface. In addition, to assist the human user during the teleoperation, several constraints are defined for both robot arms in order to avoid exceeding the allowed workspace, e.g. to avoid collisions with other objects in the environment. The theory used in this work to develop the bimanual robot control relies on sliding mode control and task prioritisation. Finally, the feasibility and effectiveness of the method are shown through experimental results using two robot arms.This work was supported by Generalitat Valenciana [grant numbers ACIF/2019/007 and GV/2021/181] and Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation [grant number PID2020117421RB-C21].García-Fernández, A.; Solanes, JE.; Gracia Calandin, LI.; Muñoz-Benavent, P.; Girbés-Juan, V.; Tornero, J. (2022). Bimanual robot control for surface treatment tasks. International Journal of Systems Science. 53(1):74-107. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207721.2021.19382797410753

Occupational exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals and other parental risk factors in hypospadias and cryptorchidism development: a case–control study

Aim of the study: Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are exogenous agents that are capable of altering the endocrine system functions, including the regulation of developmental processes. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between EDC exposure and other parental factors in the etiology of hypospadias and cryptorchidism. Methods: A case–control study was conducted. Cases (n = 210) were infants aged between 6 months and 14 years diagnosed with hypospadias or cryptorchidism who attended the authors' hospital over a period of 18 months, and controls (n = 210) were infants within the same range of age and without any urological disorders who attended the outpatient clinic of the same hospital during the same time period. Their selection was independent of exposures. Data on parental occupational exposure to EDCs and other sociodemographic variables were collected through face-to-face interviews and systematically for both cases and controls. Crude and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) were estimated to control for confounding with their 95% confidence interval (CI) by means of logistic regressions. Specifically, three final models of a dichotomous outcome were constructed: one for cryptorchidism, one for hypospadias, and the third considering both malformations together. The Hosmer-Lemeshow test was used to assess the goodness of fit of the models. Their discriminatory accuracy (DA) was ascertained by estimating their areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves area under the curve (AUC) along with their 95% CI. Results: Associations were found between advanced maternal age (OR adjusted = 1.82; 95% CI: 1.14–2.92), mother's consumption of anti-abortives (OR = 5.40; 95% CI: 1.40–38.5) and other drugs (OR = 2.02; 95% CI: 1.31–3.16) during pregnancy, maternal and paternal occupational exposure to EDCs (OR = 4.08; 95% CI: 2.03–8.96 and OR = 3.90; 95% CI: 2.41–6.48, respectively), fathers smoking (OR = 2.0; 95% CI: 1.33–2.99), and fathers with urological disorders (OR = 2.31; 95% CI: 1.15–4.90). Maternal and paternal high educational level could be protective of cryptorchidism (OR = 0.47; 95% CI: 0.28–0.76 and OR = 0.63; 95% CI: 0.42–0.93, respectively). The DA of the models for the whole sample (AUC = 0.75; 95% CI: 0.70–0.79) for cryptorchidism (AUC = 0.76; 95% CI: 0.71–0.82) and for hypospadias (AUC = 0.75; 95% CI: 0.69–0.81) was moderately high. Conclusions: Advanced age, some parental occupational exposure to EDCs, some drug consumption, smoking, and the father's history of urological disorders may increase risk and predict the developments of these malformations. Studies with higher samples sizes are needed to assess associations between individual EDC occupational exposures and drugs and these malformations. [Table presented

A Chemical Pressure-Induced Phase Transition Controlled by Lone Electron Pair Activity

The chemical pressure approach offers a new paradigm for property control in functional materials. In this work, we disclose a correlation between the β → α pressureinduced phase transition in SnMoO4 and the substitution process of Mo6+ by W6+ in SnMo1−xWxO4 solid solutions (x = 0-1). Special attention is paid to discriminating the role of the lone pair Sn2+ cation from the structural distortive effect along the Mo/W substitution process, which is crucial to disentangle the driven force of the transition phase. Furthermore, the reverse α → β transition observed at high temperature in SnWO4 is rationalized on the same basis as a negative pressure effect associated with a decreasing of W6+ percentage in the solid solution. This work opens a versatile chemical approach in which the types of interactions along the formation of solid solutions are clearly differentiated and can also be used to tune their properties, providing opportunities for the development of new materials

Microbiome network analysis in skin and gills of Sparus aurata fed with Nannochloropsis gaditana microalgae

1416 and 694 ASVs in gills and skin respectively were preserved in the taxonomic analysis after filtering. The predominant phylum in gills was Proteobacteria (~50%) in the control and hydrolyzed groups and reached 70.58% in the raw diet. The Bacteroidota phylum was the most represented and Firmicutes and Actinobacteria were close to 3% in all treatments in this tissue. However, in all three different treatments, the phyla abundance was similar in skin samples, ~90% of which corresponded to Proteobacteria. Bateroidota (5.5%–5.9%), Firmicutes (1.8%–2%) and Actinobacteria (<1%) constitute the other phyla. In gills, 13 significantly higher ASVs were obtained in the control (such as Achromobacter, Acidobacter) versus 4 whose abundance was higher in the hydrolyzed diet. The number of ASVs that differed significantly between the gill microbiota in the control vs. raw group amounted to 70, most of them being ASVs corresponding to the genus Shewanella (43) higher in the raw diet. Nevertheless, in the skin samples, Control group showed a significant increase of abundance related to Acinetobacter, Achromobacter, Pseudomonas, Shewanella, Vibrio and Sphingomonas among others. In the hydrolyzed group, the most significant abundance was associated with the genus Pseudomonas, Vibrio, Pseudoalteromonas, Ralstonia o Cutibacterium. In the case of the skin raw samples, there were ASVs corresponding to the genus Acinetobacter, Streptococcus or Pseudoalteromonas that were significantly different respect of control. Taking ASV abundance matrix for each diet and tissue, 6 co-occurrence networks were constructed. In all treatments in gills, Acinetobacter was a central genus in the network, and exhibited a negative correlation with Polaribacter. Besides, in the raw group, Polaribacter also showed negative correlation with Aeromonas, Pseudomonas and Francisellacea. This work shows that Acinetobacter has a key role in the balance of mucosa microbiota and was in co-exclusion with Polaribacter.This work was funded by research projects for young researchers, CEIMAR 2019 (Evaluation of hydrolysates of Nannochloropsis gaditana for use in high value-added finishing feed for farmed gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) (NAN2BREAM))

El Joc de rol com a eina d’aprenentatge

El paradigma de Bolonya i les metodologies actives han possibilitat la incorporació de competències i processos d'avaluació continuada que afavoreixen que l'estudiantat formi part del mateix procés d'aprenentatge. S’ha plantejat la incorporació del joc de rol com a eina de motivació en les assignatures relacionades amb l’àmbit dels materials. Es pretén que un grup d’estudiants adopti el rol d’una empresa d’assessoria en materials, que doni resposta a les necessitats i peticions del professorat, el “client”. La interacció professorat-alumnat és imprescindible i la metodologia proposada ha de garantir una comunicació i una retroacció constants, que alimenti la motivació i que possibiliti un seguiment continu. Successivament es realitzen noves consultes que posen l’alumnat en contacte amb metodologies de caracterització química, física, mecànica i/o microestructural de materials, continguts que s’hauran vist en la part teòrica. A partir de les apreciacions del professorat, es fomenta que els informes de cada encàrrec (tasca) siguin cada vegada més acurats i professionals. El resultat final és un conjunt de protocols (dossier o portfolio) per a la caracterització d’un material, que mostra l’evolució en l’aprenentatge i recull evidències de l’assoliment de competències, i de coneixements, habilitats i actituds, com a base d’una transició de l’àmbit acadèmic al professional.Peer Reviewe

Los Poyos del Molinillo (Frigiliana): new site of the Bronze Age in the East Axarquía (Málaga, Andalucía)

En este trabajo damos a conocer un nuevo yacimiento descubierto recientemente en el municipio de Frigiliana. La delimitación del área denominada Los Poyos del Molinillo permitió definir la existencia de un poblado y una covacha con restos de una inhumación. El estudio de los materiales arqueológicos, que incluye cerámica, piezas metálicas o elementos de molturación, o la datación AMS obtenida, permiten adscribir el yacimiento a la Edad del Bronce y ampliar el conocimiento de esta etapa en la Axarquía oriental (Málaga, Andalucía).In this work we present a new site recently discovered in the Frigiliana municipality (Málaga). The spatial delimitation of the so called Los Poyos del Molinillo area let us define a Bronze age settlement and an inhumation burial cave. The archaeological record includes ceramic, metallic items or grinding elements, all of them belonging to the Bronze Age, as well as an AMS Radiocarbon data. This site extends the knowledge about this period in the Eastern Axarquía (Málaga, Andalucía)

Applying length-based assessment methods to fisheries resources of the Bay of Biscay and Atlantic Iberian Waters: stock status and parameters sensitivity

ASLO 2021 Aquatic Sciences Virtual Meeting, 22–27 June 2021Length-based methods have been widely applied to estimate biological parameters and to understand the dynamics of marine resource populations within the category of data-limited stocksProject IMPRESS (RTI2018-099868-B-I00), ERDF, Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities - State Research Agency, and also of GAIN (Xunta de Galicia), GRC MERVEX (nº IN607-A 2018-4)N

Assessing the sensitivity of data-limited methods for resources in the Atlantic waters

ICES Annual Science Conference 2021, online 6-10 SeptemberLength-based methods have been widely applied to estimate biological parameters and to under-stand the dynamics of marine resource populations within the category of data-limited stocksThe authors thank the financial support of the project IMPRESS (RTI2018-099868-B-I00) project, ERDF, Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities - State Research Agency, and also of GAIN (Xunta de Galicia), GRC MERVEX (nº IN607-A 2018-4)N