Estimation of mean form and mean form difference under elliptical laws

The matrix variate elliptical generalization of [30] is presented in this work. The published Gaussian case is revised and modified. Then, new aspects of identifiability and consistent estimation of mean form and mean form difference are considered under elliptical laws. For example, instead of using the Euclidean distance matrix for the consistent estimates, exact formulae are derived for the moments of the matrix B = Xc(Xc)T; where Xcis the centered landmark matrix. Finally, a complete application in Biology is provided; it includes estimation, model selection and hypothesis testing. © 2017, Institute of Mathematical Statistics. All rights reserved

Life cycle assessment of large-scale solar photovoltaic irrigation

In the last years, concerns about climate change have led to the search for cleaner and cheaper energy sources. For some years now, photovoltaic solar energy has been implemented in small pumping installations, with low peak installed power systems. However, irrigation districts with high pumping power are currently using this kind of energy thanks to large solar plants. Although these large solar plants do not have a significant environmental impact during their operational phase, their environmental impact becomes evident during the manufacturing of their components and construction. In this work, the life cycle assessment (LCA) of a large solar photovoltaic plant of 6 MWp of an irrigation district, located in southern Spain, has been carried out. From the analysis of the data provided, energy payback time (EPBT) between 3.51 and 3.81 years, and carbon payback time (CPBT) between 3.39 and 3.67 years were determined. The influence on the reduction of environmental impact was also analysed revealing that even with partial energy consumption from the grid, greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and fossil fuel energy consumption have been reduced by nearly 50 %

Digital habits and competences of health professionals the Health Area East of Málaga−Axarquía (Málaga)

Las competencias en lectura y escritura digital -que se engloban en la Alfabetización Informacional- son imprescindibles para participar plenamente en la sociedad del conocimiento y afrontar nuevos esquemas y enfoques en los procesos educativos, para poder afrontar los retos de una sociedad global cada vez más exigente tecnológicamente. Las plataformas de formación e investigación, así como la aparición de medios y dispositivos digitales que dan acceso a Internet y permiten la gestión, generación y difusión de la información, están produciendo cambios en los hábitos de lectura y escritura hasta el punto de encontrarnos en un nuevo paradigma de intervención donde la traslación a lo digital es ineludible e irrevocable. Nos interesa conocer los cambios que se están produciendo y cómo se está produciendo la transición hacia el consumo y uso de la información digital entre los usuarios de las bibliotecas de ciencias de la salud, ya que éstas son proveedoras pioneras de acceso a los medios digitales para los usuarios de la información. Conocer las prácticas de lectura, escritura y gestión de la información de los profesionales sanitarios del Área de Salud Este de Málaga. Se utilizó un enfoque metodológico de investigación mixto mediante el uso de técnicas de investigación cualitativas y cuantitativas en diferentes etapas. Se incluyó un estudio exhaustivo del estado del conocimiento científico sobre lectura y escritura digital, Alfabetización Informática/Digital, plataformas virtuales para la Gestión de la Formación, Ecosistema de Libros Electrónicos, Entornos Personales de Aprendizaje y Gestión del Conocimiento. Recogeremos información sobre los profesionales en cuanto a su desempeño en sus funciones profesionales y personales mediante un cuestionario específicamente diseñado. La muestra de la población está formada por 1.300 miembros del personal que trabajan en todas las categorías de trabajo implicadas. Como resultado, esperamos poder establecer un diagnóstico de la situación actual, que permita diseñar un plan de acción dirigido a potenciar la alfabetización digital específicamente en los profesionales sanitarios

Peatlands in the Toledo Mountains (central Spain): characterisation and conservation status.

We have limited knowledge about the biodiversity and vulnerability of peatlands in the lower-altitude mountains of the Iberian Peninsula, largely because peatlands have not been routinely differentiated from other habitat types in Spain. Understanding is now developing about the ecology of peatlands in central Spain, but they are already under severe threat of conversion and degradation. In this article we describe the results of a field survey and literature review study to characterise and describe the current condition of peatlands in the Toledo Mountains in terms of their typology, the representation of habitat types protected by European (EU) designations, threats, endangered plant species, and conservation status. Our results suggest that the principal threats are overgrazing by domestic animals and ungulates (red deer and wild boar), fire, expansion of cereal crops, drying-out and erosion. Disturbance is most severe in areas that are not protected by nature conservation designations, where peatlands are especially vulnerable to damage arising from human activities

Learning a Battery of COVID-19 Mortality Prediction Models by Multi-objective Optimization

The COVID-19 pandemic is continuously evolving with drastically changing epidemiological situations which are approached with different decisions: from the reduction of fatalities to even the selection of patients with the highest probability of survival in critical clinical situations. Motivated by this, a battery of mortality prediction models with different performances has been developed to assist physicians and hospital managers. Logistic regression, one of the most popular classifiers within the clinical field, has been chosen as the basis for the generation of our models. Whilst a standard logistic regression only learns a single model focusing on improving accuracy, we propose to extend the possibilities of logistic regression by focusing on sensitivity and specificity. Hence, the log-likelihood function, used to calculate the coefficients in the logistic model, is split into two objective functions: one representing the survivors and the other for the deceased class. A multi-objective optimization process is undertaken on both functions in order to find the Pareto set, composed of models not improved by another model in both objective functions simultaneously. The individual optimization of either sensitivity (deceased patients) or specificity (survivors) criteria may be conflicting objectives because the improvement of one can imply the worsening of the other. Nonetheless, this conflict guarantees the output of a battery of diverse prediction models. Furthermore, a specific methodology for the evaluation of the Pareto models is proposed. As a result, a battery of COVID-19 mortality prediction models is obtained to assist physicians in decision-making for specific epidemiological situations.This research is supported by the Basque Government (IT1504- 22, Elkartek) through the BERC 2022–2025 program and BMTF project, and by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities: BCAM Severo Ochoa accreditation SEV-2017-0718 and PID2019-104966GB-I00. Furthermore, the work is also supported by the AXA Research Fund project “Early prognosis of COVID-19 infections via machine learning”

Interpolation of the magnetic field at the test masses in eLISA

A feasible design for a magnetic diagnostics subsystem for eLISA will be based on that of its precursor mission, LISA Pathfinder. Previous experience indicates that magnetic field estimation at the positions of the test masses has certain complications. This is due to two reasons. The first is that magnetometers usually back-act due to their measurement principles (i.e., they also create their own magnetic fields), while the second is that the sensors selected for LISA Pathfinder have a large size, which conflicts with space resolution and with the possibility of having a sufficient number of them to properly map the magnetic field around the test masses. However, high-sensitivity and small-sized sensors that significantly mitigate the two aforementioned limitations exist, and have been proposed to overcome these problems. Thus, these sensors will be likely selected for the magnetic diagnostics subsystem of eLISA. Here we perform a quantitative analysis of the new magnetic subsystem, as it is currently conceived, and assess the feasibility of selecting these sensors in the final configuration of the magnetic diagnostic subsystem.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Design of the magnetic diagnostics unit onboard LISA Pathfinder

LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) is a joint mission of ESA and NASA which aims to be the first space-borne gravitational wave observatory. Due to the high complexity and technological challenges that LISA will face, ESA decided to launch a technological demonstrator, LISA Pathfinder. The payload of LISA Pathfinder is the so-called LISA Technology Package, and will be the highest sensitivity geodesic explorer flown to date. The LISA Technology Package is designed to measure relative accelerations between two test masses in nominal free fall (geodesic motion). The magnetic, thermal and radiation disturbances affecting the payload are monitored and dealt by the diagnostics subsystem. The diagnostics subsystem consists of several modules, and one of these is the magnetic diagnostics unit. Its main function is the assessment of differential acceleration noise between test masses due to the magnetic effects. To do so, it has to determine the magnetic characteristics of the test masses, namely their magnetic remanences and susceptibilities. In this paper we show how this can be achieved to the desired accuracy.Preprin

Proposals for environmental impact decreasing in a suburban zone of limestone quarries: Southem Madrid Community, Spain

Over 30 Mm3 of limestones are extracted at least 100 quarries in southem part ofMadrid, its environmental impact is described in this paper. Three main reclamation areas are distinguished: surrounding of quarries, faces or highwalls of quarries and the floor. For soil reclamation in the environs of quarries we suggest to sow it with forage of fast growth plants (Lupinus, Tripho/ium ... ), in the floor of quarries is possible a spontaneous revegetation or even may be reclaimed for agricultural uses. For quarried rocks faces previous blasting and/or wider benchs are proposed. In opinion of the authors it is necessary to concentrate the limestone extraction in two or three Iarge quarries that allows a best policy and reclamation

Optimisation of hybrid energy supply systems for off‐grid irrigation farms

Este trabajo presenta un modelo para el dimensionamiento óptimo de un sistema de suministro de energía híbrido basado en las energías renovables solar fotovoltaica y micro‐hidráulica, enfocado a la reducción del coste total y del impacto ambiental. El  modelo  desarrollado  emplea  una  versión  modificada  del  algoritmo  genético  NSGA‐II.  La  optimización contempla el dimensionamiento de una planta de recuperación de energía (PAT‐ Pump As Turbine) y una planta solar fotovoltaica, como principales fuentes de energía, haciendo uso de baterías y un generador diésel como sistemas de apoyo. Además, el algoritmo decide si las herramientas  y  vehículos  requeridos  para  el  funcionamiento  de  la  explotación,  además  de  las  demandas dependientes de la instalación de riego, son eléctricos o de combustión, para cada una de las soluciones propuestas. El modelo fue aplicado a un caso de estudio en una explotación de nogal de regadío en Palma del Río (Córdoba), mostrando un conjunto de posibles soluciones óptimas que minimizan el coste de inversión  y  el  impacto  ambiental  del  sistema  de  suministro  energético.  En  aquellos  escenarios  enfocados a minimizar las categorías de impacto de cambio climático, y recursos energéticos, en los que se da prioridad a los dispositivos eléctricos, el coste del banco de baterías igualó o incluso superó a la suma del coste de la planta fotovoltaica y la planta de recuperación de energía micro‐hidráulica. La planta microhidráulica fue incluida en algunas de las soluciones, pero su participación fue muy baja,  adquiriendo  mayor  participación  en  aquellas  soluciones  con  valor  mínimo  para  la  función  objetivo dos (impacto ambiental), presentando un valor más alto para el coste total. El porcentaje de energía aprovechada, frente al total de energía generada, fue de hasta el 37% para algunas de las soluciones propuestas, valor muy superior al obtenido en análisis anteriores para sistemas en aislada basados en energías renovables. Se  observó  que  el  coste  de  la  energía  generada  asociado  a  cada  tecnología  tuvo  un  impacto  significativo en el dimensionamiento y configuración del sistema. Por ello, la energía microhidráulica, con un mayor coste de inversión asociado, en comparación con la energía solar fotovoltaica, tuvo una menor participación en las soluciones óptimas con valores más balanceados para ambas funciones objetivo. Además, el patrón de producción de la energía solar fotovoltaica fue identificado  como  el  factor  más  limitante  para  esta  tecnología,  lo  que  redujo  el  porcentaje  de  aprovechamiento energético y condicionó la dependencia de baterías y combustible. Las baterías supusieron  un  importante  porcentaje  del  coste  total,  de  hasta  el  57%,  y  contribución  al  impacto  ambiental, que podrían reducirse al introducir otras fuentes de energía renovable complementarias, como  la  eólica,  o  sistemas  alternativos  de  almacenamiento  de  energía.  El  modelo  desarrollado  presenta una herramienta útil para el análisis sistemático de posibles configuraciones de un sistema híbrido para la gestión integral de la energía a nivel de parcela en explotaciones aisladas de la red eléctrica