Bilateral Asymmetries Assessment in Elite and Sub-Elite Male Futsal Players

This study aimed to investigate morphological, functional, and neuromuscular asymmetries on futsal players’ lower limbs at different competitive levels. Sixteen male elite futsal players from the Spanish National Futsal League and thirteen male sub-elite futsal players from the third division participated in this study. Morphological asymmetry was assessed through bioelectrical impedance (fat-mass (g and %) and lean-mass (g)). Functional asymmetry was assessed by means of a 20-s static unipedal balance test. Finally, neuromuscular asymmetry was assessed using tensiomiography tests on both the rectus femoris (RF) and biceps femoris (BF) of each participant. The three tests conducted did not reveal significant bilateral asymmetries in elite players. On the other hand, sub-elite players showed significant bilateral asymmetry in fat-mass percentage between dominant and non-dominant limbs (+6%; CI95%: 1 to 11; ES: 0.88; p = 0.019). They also showed higher bilateral asymmetry in the delay time of the RF (+13%; CI95%: 7 to 21; ES: 1.3; p 0.05) did not evidence asymmetries regardless of the level of the participants. Elite futsal players do not develop bilateral asymmetries in lower limbs in the studied parameters. On the contrary, sub-elite players are likely to develop morphological and neuromuscular asymmetries between their dominant leg and non-dominant leg.Sin financiación3.390 JCR (2020) Q1, 42/176 Public, Environmental & Occupational Health0.747 SJR (2020) Q2, 50/136 Health, Toxicology and MutagenesisNo data IDR 2020UE

A hydrated ion model of [UO2]2+ in water: Structure, dynamics, and spectroscopy from classical molecular dynamics

A new ab initio interaction potential based on the hydrated ion concept has been developed to obtain the structure, energetics, and dynamics of the hydration of uranyl in aqueous solution. It is the first force field that explicitly parameterizes the interaction of the uranyl hydrate with bulk water molecules to accurately define the second-shell behavior. The [UO2(H2O)5 ] 2+ presents a first hydration shell U–O average distance of 2.46 Å and a second hydration shell peak at 4.61 Å corresponding to 22 molecules using a coordination number definition based on a multisite solute cavity. The second shell solvent molecules have longer mean residence times than those corresponding to the divalent monatomic cations. The axial regions are relatively de-populated, lacking direct hydrogen bonding to apical oxygens. Angle-solved radial distribution functions as well as the spatial distribution functions show a strong anisotropy in the ion hydration. The [UO2(H2O)5 ] 2+ solvent structure may be regarded as a combination of a conventional second hydration shell in the equatorial and bridge regions, and a clathrate-like low density region in the axial region. Translational diffusion coefficient, hydration enthalpy, power spectra of the main vibrational modes, and the EXAFS spectrum simulated from molecular dynamics trajectories agree fairly well with the experiment.Junta de Andalucía de España, Proyecto de Excelencia-P11-FQM 760

Las industrias manufactureras regionales en la época del desarrollismo. Un nuevo análisis de localización y convergencia

Hemos resumido los resultados de un primer análisis descriptivo de las series regionales de valores agregados brutos de empleo y manufactura del período «desarrollismo» que se han extraído de las estadísticas oficiales. Más precisamente, se ha estudiado la distribución espacial del crecimiento manufacturero, su carácter concreto en los diferentes territorios, y la trayectoria de la dispersión seguida por los valores agregados brutos fabriles regionales por habitante y las productividades del trabajo en las distintas regiones. Las principales conclusiones son: 1) el mapa manufacturero español no sufrió cambios cruciales entre 1964 y 1974; 2) no hubo convergencia regional manufacturera en términos de valores brutos por habitante, ni en términos de valores brutos por empleado; 3) los valores relativos de las productividades laborales no explican ni el mapa manufacturero de nuestro país ni el diferente comportamiento del crecimiento manufacturero en cada territorio

Productividad del trabajo y estructura sectorial en las economías europeas

El trabajo analiza la contribución de las manufacturas y de los servicios al crecimiento de la productividad agregada en las economías europeas durante el periodo 1994-2003. En un contexto de mediocre crecimiento de la demanda, la productividad de los servicios aumenta con lentitud, lo que en economías cada vez más terciarizadas supone una fuerte restricción al incremento de la productividad agregada. Por otro lado, las manufacturas contribuyen de forma muy significativa a ese crecimiento, debido a que la industria presenta condiciones más favorables para que la expansión de la demanda genere aumentos en la productividad. Así lo confirma el análisis empírico que toma como fuente los datos estadísticos del Groningen Growth and Development Centre, 60-Industry Database (GGDC). Este análisis muestra un agudo contraste entre el estilo de crecimiento de las manufacturas, basado en el aumento de la productividad, y el de los servicios, basado en el aumento del empleo.______________________________This paper analyzes the contribution of manufacturing and services to aggregate productivity growth in the European economies during the period 1994-2003. In a context of mediocre demand growth, productivity in services is growing slowly, which in economies increasingly oriented towards services is a strong restriction to the increase in aggregate productivity. On the other hand, manufacturing contributes very significantly to that productivity growth. This is because industry presents better conditions for achieving productivity gains trough the expansion of demand. This is confirmed by the empirical analysis whose statistical source is the Groningen Growth and Development Centre, 60-Industry Database (GGDC). This empirical analysis shows a sharp contrast between the style of growth in manufacturing, based on increased productivity, and the services sector, based on increased employment

Revisiting the benefit of contrastive analysis for early language learning

El nuevo paradigma científico propuesto por la ciencia cognitiva (cf. Gardner, 1989) proporciona a los investigadores la oportunidad de revisar la consideración y el papel de los supuestos, procedimientos y herramientas que quedaron anticuados con la incorporación de nuevas teorías e ideas en numerosas disciplinas. Un ejemplo de esta situación es el tratamiento que se le ha dado al análisis contrastivo (AC) en diferentes perspectivas. Mientras que dentro de las teorías conductistas se esperaba que el CA previniera a los estudiantes de cometer errores y equivocaciones en los sesenta, se utilizaba para dar un explicación de los errores debidos a la interferencia sobre mitad de los ochenta, antes de ser prohibido desde la investigación sistemática en el proceso de adquisición de la segunda lengua (ASL) desde finales de los ochenta en adelante. Sin embargo, la aplicación de los refuerzos epistemológicos del cognitivismo sobre la primera lengua y sobre los procesos de adquisición de la segunda lengua permiten una reconsideración del beneficio del AC como una herramienta procedimental para equipar al aprendiz de la segunda lengua con el apoyo cognitivo que contribuye a la construcción activa del conocimiento y habilidades de la futura segunda lengua.The new scientific paradigm proposed by cognitive science (cf. Gardner, 1989) gives researchers the chance to revisit the consideration and the role of assumptions, procedures and tools that became outdated with the incorporation of new theories and insights in numerous disciplines. An example for this situation is the treatment that contrastive analysis1 (CA) has been given in different perspectives. Whereas within conductist-oriented theories, CA was expected to prevent learners from making errors and mistakes in the 60´s, it was used for giving an explanation of the errors due to interference up to the mid 80´s, before being banned from systematic research on second language acquisition (SLA) processes from the late 80´s onwards. Notwithstanding, the application of the epistemological underpinnings of cognitivism onto first language and SLA processes allows for a reconsideration of the benefit of CA as a procedural tool for equipping the second language learner with the cognitive support that contributes to the active construction of the knowledge and skills of the future second language

A general study of actinyl hydration by molecular dynamics simulations using ab initio force fields

A set of new ab initio force fields for aqueous [AnO2] 2+/+ (An = Np(VI,V), Pu(VI), Am(VI)) has been developed using the Hydrated Ion (HI) model methodology previously used for [UO2] 2+. Except for the non-electrostatic contribution of the HI-bulk water interaction, the interaction potentials are individually parameterized. Translational diffusion coefficients, hydration enthalpies, and vibrational normal mode frequencies were calculated from the MD simulations. Physico-chemical properties satisfactorily agree with experiments validating the robustness of the force field strategy. The solvation dynamics and structure for all hexavalent actinoids are extremely similar and resemble our previous analysis of the uranyl cation. This supports the idea of using the uranyl cation as a reference for the study of other minor actinyls. The comparison between the NpO2+ 2 and NpO+ 2 hydration only provides significant differences in first and second shell distances and second-shell mean residence times. We propose a single general view of the [AnO2] 2+/+ hydration structure: aqueous actinyls are amphiphilic anisotropic solutes which are equatorially conventional spherically symmetric cations capped at the poles by clathrate-like water structures.Junta de Andalucía de España, Plan Andaluz de Investigación-FQM-28

Demand, employment and labour productivity in the European economies

This paper represents an explanation of the causes of the deceleration in labour productivity in the European economies in the last few decades. In the first instance, the weakness of domestic demand is what determines that slowing down in productivity. However, the dif-ferences in the (mediocre) rates of productivity growth in the European countries are related to the specific characteristics of their respective labour markets. In this way, in a context of weakness in domestic demand, there is a trade-off between labour productivity and em-ployment growth

Performance optimization in switched reluctance motor drives

In this paper, switched reluctance motors (SRM) are proposed as an alternative for electric power assisted steering (EPAS) applications. A prototype machine has been developed as very attractive design for a steering electric motor, both from a cost and size perspective. A fourphase 8/6 SRM drive is designed for a rack type EPAS which should provide a maximum force of 10 kN. Two-dimension finite element analysis is used to validate the design

Development of an electrochemical maltose biosensor

In this work, electrochemical maltose biosensors based on mutants of the maltose binding protein (MBP) are developed. A ruthenium II complex (Ru II ), which is covalently attached to MBP, serves as an electrochemical reporter of MBP conformational changes. Biosensors were made through direct attachment of Ru II complex modified MBP to gold electrode surfaces. The responses of some individual mutants were evaluated using square wave voltammetry. A maltose-dependent change in Faradic current and capacitance was observed. It is therefore demonstrated that biosensors using generically this family of bacterial periplasmic binding proteins (bPBP) can be made lending themselves to facile biorecognition element preparation and low cost electrochemical transduction

Unsupervised machine learning approach for building composite indicators with fuzzy metrics

[EN] This study aims at developing a new methodological approach for building composite indicators, focusingon the weight schemes through an unsupervised machine learning technique. The composite indicatorproposed is based on fuzzy metrics to capture multidimensional concepts that do not have boundaries, suchas competitiveness, development, corruption or vulnerability. This methodology is designed for formativemeasurement models using a set of indicators measured on different scales (quantitative, ordinal and binary)and it is partially compensatory. Under a benchmarking approach, the single indicators are synthesized.The optimization method applied manages to remove the overlapping information provided for the singleindicators, so that the composite indicator provides a more realistic and faithful approximation to the conceptwhich would be studied. It has been quantitatively and qualitatively validated with a set of randomizeddatabases covering extreme and usual cases.This work was supported by the project FEDER-University of Granada (B-SEJ-242.UGR20), 2021-2023: An innovative methodological approach for measuring multidimensional poverty in Andalusia (COMPOSITE). Eduardo Jimenez-Fernandez would also like to thank the support received from Universitat Jaume I under the grant E-2018-03.Jiménez Fernández, E.; Sánchez, A.; Sánchez Pérez, EA. (2022). Unsupervised machine learning approach for building composite indicators with fuzzy metrics. Expert Systems with Applications. 200:1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2022.11692711120