BQC: A free web service to quality control solar irradiance measurements across Europe

Classical quality control (QC) methods of solar irradiance apply easy-to-implement physical or statistical limits that are incapable of detecting low-magnitude measuring errors due to the large width of the intervals. We previously presented the bias-based quality control (BQC), a novel method that flags samples in which the bias of several independent gridded datasets is larger for consecutive days than the historical value. The BQC was previously validated at 313 European and 732 Spanish stations finding multiple low-magnitude errors (e.g., shadows, soiling) not detected by classical QC methods. However, the need for gridded datasets, and ground measurements to characterize the bias, was hindering the BQC implementation. To solve this issue, we present a free web service, www.bqcmethod.com, that implements the BQC algorithm incorporating both the gridded datasets and the reference stations required to use the BQC across Europe from 1983 to 2018. Users only have to upload a CSV file with the global horizontal irradiance measurements to be analyzed. Compared to previous BQC versions, gridded products have been upgraded to SARAH-2, CLARA-A2, ERA5, and the spatial coverage has been extended to all of Europe. The web service provides a flexible environment that allows users to tune the BQC parameters and upload ancillary rain data that help in finding the causes of the errors. Besides, the outputs cover not only the visual and numerical QC flags but also daily and hourly estimations from the gridded datasets, facilitating the access to raster data.We thank the Instituto de Estudios Riojanos for funding part of the web service within the program Estudios Científicos de Temática Riojana, Spain. This research used resources from the Supercomputing Castilla y Leon Center (SCAYLE, www.scayle.es), funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). We would also like to thank the EU meteorological networks that freely distribute their datasets and particularly those researchers who helped us in retrieving these data: Aku Riiëla and Anders Lindfors (FMI), Virginie Gorjoux (Météo France), Sandra Andersson (SHMI), and Jakub Walawender (IMGW-PIB). Finally, we thank the CMSAF and ECMWF for freely distributing their products, and particularly Jörg Trentmann, for providing a beta version of CLARA-A2.1. RU is a postdoc from the University of La Rioja working as a visiting scientist at the European Commission’s Joint Research Center (JRC). RU is funded by the Plan Propio de la Universidad de La Rioja, Spain and V Plan Riojano de I+D, Spain . The views expressed here are purely those of the authors and may not, under any circumstances, be regarded as an official position of the European Commission

Factores de riesgo de descarga catecolaminérgica y/o inestabilidad hemodinámica en la cirugía del feocromocitoma/paraganglioma

Tesis doctoral inédita leída en la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Facultad de Medicina, Departamento de Cirugía. Fecha de lectura: 19-09-201

Solar Thermal Collectors for Medium Temperature Applications: A Comprehensive Review and Updated Database

Although the technology of solar thermal collectors for medium temperature applications is not new, few collectors and commercial installations were available worldwide. Presently the sector is growing rapidly, new technologies have been developed and real installations using these technologies are already being built all around the world for different applications, especially for the generation of heat required by industrial applications. Considering the increasing number of available products and the importance of disseminating this information among system designers and end-users, a database of the available solar collectors for medium temperature applications is under development. The information has been gathered from the different collector manufacturers and suppliers and the available technical information published on the different collector models. Aiming a thorough insight into these new commercially available solutions, the database includes the most relevant technical information of the different existing collectors. This work is being done within the framework of the European project STAGE-STE (Scientific and Technological Alliance for Guaranteeing the European Excellence in Concentrating Solar Thermal Energy) (http://www.stage-ste.eu/). The information gathered will also be used within the Task 49, the working group for Solar Heat Integration in Industrial Process (SHIP) of the Solar Heating and Cooling program (SHC) by the International Energy Agency (IEA) (http://task49.iea-shc.org/).European Commission FP

Pedagogical Approaches for Sustainable Development in Building in Higher Education

Education for sustainable development (ESD) is one of the great challenges that university faculties have to face. Therefore, a multidisciplinary team from the faculty of Engineering of Gipuzkoa (EIG) at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) has developed pedagogical approaches to apply in construction degrees, namely Civil Engineering and Technical Architecture. Pedagogical tools, such as problem-based learning (PBL) or research-based learning (RBL), and environmental tools, such as the life cycle assessment (LCA) and computational thinking (CT), have been used; in doing so, they acquire a sustainable approach to work “soft-skills” competencies into sustainability. For example, research-based tools have helped to revalorize waste both outside and inside the university; they have contributed to more sustainable industrial processes, collaborative research projects, and participation in conferences and scientific publications. Based on academic results, the designed tools are appropriate for teaching in Technical Architecture and Civil Engineering degrees; however, to demonstrate their potential in terms of sustainable education, holistic rubrics based on in-depth quantitative educational research are required. Thus, to analyze the ability of the students to incorporate sustainability principles in their work, the multidisciplinary team presenting this paper plans to collaborate with psychologists and sociologists within the framework of the Bizia-Lab program of the UPV/EHU.This research study was funded by Bizia Lab, Vice-chancellor’s Office for Innovation, within the Social Commitment (UPV/EHU) calls 2016/17 and 2020/21

Spectral and optical properties of Ag3Au(Se2,Te2) and dark matterdetection

Paper • The following article is Open access Spectral and optical properties of Ag3Au(Se2,Te2) and dark matter detection M-Á Sánchez-Martínez6,1 , I Robredo6,2,3, A Bidaurrazaga3, A Bergara2,3,4, F de Juan2,5, A G Grushin1 and M G Vergniory7,2,5 Published 29 October 2019 • © 2019 The Author(s). Published by IOP Publishing Ltd Journal of Physics: Materials, Volume 3, Number 1 Focus on Topological Matter Citation M-Á Sánchez-Martínez et al 2020 J. Phys. Mater. 3 014001 Download Article PDF Figures References 692 Total downloads 4 4 total citations on Dimensions. Turn on MathJax Share this article Share this content via email Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Google+ Share on Mendeley Article information Abstract In this work we study the electronic structure of ${\mathrm{Ag}}_{3}{\mathrm{AuSe}}_{2}$ and ${\mathrm{Ag}}_{3}{\mathrm{AuTe}}_{2}$, two chiral insulators whose gap can be tuned through small changes in the lattice parameter by applying hydrostatic pressure or choosing different growth protocols. Based on first principles calculations we compute their band structure for different values of the lattice parameters and show that while ${\mathrm{Ag}}_{3}{\mathrm{AuSe}}_{2}$ retains its direct narrow gap at the Γ point, ${\mathrm{Ag}}_{3}{\mathrm{AuTe}}_{2}$ can turn into a metal. Focusing on ${\mathrm{Ag}}_{3}{\mathrm{AuSe}}_{2}$ we derive a low energy model around Γ using group theory, which we use to calculate the optical conductivity for different values of the lattice constant. We discuss our results in the context of detection of light dark matter particles, which have masses of the order of a keV, and conclude that ${\mathrm{Ag}}_{3}{\mathrm{AuSe}}_{2}$ satisfies three important requirements for a suitable detector: small Fermi velocities, meV band gap, and low photon screening. Our work motivates the growth of high-quality and large samples of ${\mathrm{Ag}}_{3}{\mathrm{AuSe}}_{2}$ to be used as target materials in dark matter detectors.We acknowledge support from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie-Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 754303 and the GreQuE Cofund programme (MASM). AGG is also supported by the ANR under the grant ANR-18-CE30-0001-01 and the European FET-OPEN SCHINES project No. 829044. MGV acknowledges the IS2016-75862-P national project of the Spanish MINECO. AB acknowledges financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (FIS2016-76617-P) and the Department of Education, Universities and Research of the Basque Government and the University of the Basque Country (IT756-13)

A Common Genetic Origin for Early Farmers from Mediterranean Cardial and Central European LBK Cultures

The spread of farming out of the Balkans and into the rest of Europe followed two distinct routes: An initial expansión represented by the Impressa and Cardial traditions, which followed the Northern Mediterranean coastline; and another expansion represented by the LBK (Linearbandkeramik) tradition, which followed the Danube River into Central Europe. Although genomic data now exist from samples representing the second migration, such data have yet to be successfully generated from the initial Mediterranean migration. To address this, we generated the complete genome of a 7,400-yearold Cardial individual (CB13) from Cova Bonica in Vallirana (Barcelona), as well as partial nuclear data from five others excavated from different sites in Spain and Portugal. CB13 clusters with all previously sequenced early European farmers and modern-day Sardinians. Furthermore, our analyses suggest that both Cardial and LBK peoples derived from a common ancient population located in or around the Balkan Peninsula. The Iberian Cardial genome also carries a discernible huntergatherer genetic signature that likely was not acquired by admixture with local Iberian foragers. Our results indicate that retrieving ancient genomes from similarly warm Mediterranean environments such as the Near East is technically feasible

Social, Clinical and Microbiological Differential Characteristics of Tuberculosis among Immigrants in Spain

BACKGROUND: To identify the differential tuberculosis (TB) characteristics within the immigrant population with respect to natives in Spain. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A prospective cohort study design was implemented to examine the TB cases diagnosed and starting standard antituberculous treatment in Spain, between January 1st 2006 and March 31st 2007. A logistic regression analysis was performed to determine differential characteristics. 1,490 patients were included in the study population, 1,048 natives and 442 (29.7%) immigrants. According to the multivariate analysis, the following variables were significantly associated with immigrant TB cases: younger age (OR = 3.79; CI:2.16-6.62), living in group situation (OR = 7.61; CI:3.38-12.12), lower frequency of disabled (OR:0.08; CI:0.02-0.26) and retired (OR:0.21; CI:0.09-0.48) employment status, lower frequency of pulmonary disease presentation (OR = 0.47; CI:0.24-0.92), primary or emergency care admission (OR = 1.80; CI:1.05-3.06 and OR = 2.16; CI:1.36-3.45), drug resistance (OR = 1.86; CI:1.01-3.46), treatment default (OR:2.12; CI:1.18-3.81), lower frequency of alcohol and cigarette consumption (OR = 2.10; CI:1.42-3.11 and OR = 2.85; CI:2.10-3.87 respectively), more directly observed treatment (OR = 1.68; CI:1.04-2.69), and poor understanding of TB disease and its treatment (OR = 3.11; CI:1.86-5.20). The low percentage of primary MDR-TB in the native population (0.1% vs. 2.2% of immigrants) should be noted. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The differences show the need to introduce specific strategies in the management of TB within the immigrant population, including the improvement of social and work conditions

Structural and Dynamical Patterns on Online Social Networks: the Spanish May 15th Movement as a case study

The number of people using online social networks in their everyday life is continuously growing at a pace never saw before. This new kind of communication has an enormous impact on opinions, cultural trends, information spreading and even in the commercial success of new products. More importantly, social online networks have revealed as a fundamental organizing mechanism in recent country-wide social movements. In this paper, we provide a quantitative analysis of the structural and dynamical patterns emerging from the activity of an online social network around the ongoing May 15th (15M) movement in Spain. Our network is made up by users that exchanged tweets in a time period of one month, which includes the birth and stabilization of the 15M movement. We characterize in depth the growth of such dynamical network and find that it is scale-free with communities at the mesoscale. We also find that its dynamics exhibits typical features of critical systems such as robustness and power-law distributions for several quantities. Remarkably, we report that the patterns characterizing the spreading dynamics are asymmetric, giving rise to a clear distinction between information sources and sinks. Our study represent a first step towards the use of data from online social media to comprehend modern societal dynamics.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figure

Riesgo quirúrgico tras resección pulmonar anatómica en cirugía torácica. Modelo predictivo a partir de una base de datos nacional multicéntrica

Introduction: the aim of this study was to develop a surgical risk prediction model in patients undergoing anatomic lung resections from the registry of the Spanish Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery Group (GEVATS). Methods: data were collected from 3,533 patients undergoing anatomic lung resection for any diagnosis between December 20, 2016 and March 20, 2018. We defined a combined outcome variable: death or Clavien Dindo grade IV complication at 90 days after surgery. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed by logistic regression. Internal validation of the model was performed using resampling techniques. Results: the incidence of the outcome variable was 4.29% (95% CI 3.6-4.9). The variables remaining in the final logistic model were: age, sex, previous lung cancer resection, dyspnea (mMRC), right pneumonectomy, and ppo DLCO. The performance parameters of the model adjusted by resampling were: C-statistic 0.712 (95% CI 0.648-0.750), Brier score 0.042 and bootstrap shrinkage 0.854. Conclusions: the risk prediction model obtained from the GEVATS database is a simple, valid, and reliable model that is a useful tool for establishing the risk of a patient undergoing anatomic lung resection