Instantaneous Reactive Power Theory in the Geometric Algebra Framework

In this paper, a new approach for instantaneous reactive power analysis in the geometric algebra (GA) environment is presented. The different formulations of the instantaneous reactive power theory (IRPT) proposed, to date, have been developed in three-phase systems. There, an instantaneous power variable, and two/three reactive power variables, all handled independently, were introduced. Thanks to GA, it is possible to carry out a global treatment where an instantaneous power multivector is defined. Thus, in the same multidimensional entity all the power variables are included. From the instantaneous power multivector, the instantaneous power current and the instantaneous reactive current are determined. It should be noted that in this mathematical framework there is no limitation on the number of phases, and the extension of the IRPT to the analysis of multi-phase systems appears in a natural manner. In this study, a systematic approach with the most relevant definitions and theorems corresponding to the proposed methodology has been established. Two practical cases of five-phase and three-phase systems have been included to apply the new established formulation

The Importance of Measuring Local Governments’ Information Disclosure: Comparing Transparency Indices in Spain

Transparency is considered a key element for developing a reliable government; it is the ability that all public entities have to provide access to all their information. The main objective of this work is to test the differences in the transparency of municipalities between the main indices and a new index made following the regulatory advances in this area at the national level. Called BTI, this new index aims to measure in the best possible way the degree of compliance of Spanish municipalities, through two dimensions (depth and breadth), which measure the quality and the quantity of the information. This work makes a comparison of the BTI with three of the main existing transparency indexes in Spain, to a sample of Spanish provincial capitals. The results obtained reveal clear differences between the indices, where three of the four indices analyzed show that most municipalities only fulfil the Transparency Act at the minimum level, with only a few municipalities reaching the maximum rating range. This work concludes that the BTI index is more demanding than the rest of the indexes. However, ITA stands out with a higher average score than the rest, which indicates that transparency portals are designed to obtain a good score in this index, being less objective. Finally, this paper remembers the importance of having an objective tool to measure transparency, as it can show notable differences with respect to reality.Ministry of Science, ICT & Future Planning, Republic of Korea PID2021-128713OB-I00 P20_0060

Foundations for the Design of a Creative System Based on the Analysis of the Main Techniques that Stimulate Human Creativity

This work presents the design of a computational system with creative capacity, based on the synthesis of the main methods that stimulate human creativity. When analyzing each method, a set of characteristics that the computer system must have in order to emulate a creative capacity has been suggested. In this way, by integrating all the suggestions in a structured way, it is possible to design the general architecture and functioning strategy of a computer system that has the incremental creative capacity of well-known creative methods. This computational system is designed as a multi-agent system, made up of two groups of agents, the problem solving group and the creative group, the first one exploring and evaluating paths for suitable solutions, the second implementing creative methods to generate new paths that are provided to the first group

Foreigners in Almeria: Target Language and Written Code

En España existe una realidad multilingüe que se ha visto multiplicada con la llegada de extranjeros. Con este trabajo pretendemos realizar un análisis de dicha realidad, tras la construcción del Índice de Competencias Lingüísticas en Español (ICLE) a partir de las distintas destrezas de producción y comprensión, haciendo un especial hincapié en el plano de la escritura, dada su relevancia en el contexto educativo. Los datos se obtienen a partir de la administración de una encuesta a la población extranjera asentada en la provincia de Almería de entre 14 y 18 años. Los resultados muestran que el nivel adquirido por éstos es inferior al obtenido por el alumnado autóctono.Además, entre los propios extranjeros existen diferencias importantes atendiendo al origen y la generación

AMPK Phosphorylation Modulates Pain by Activation of NLRP3 Inflammasome

Impairment in adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activity and NOD-like receptor family, pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation are associated with several metabolic and inflammatory diseases. In this study, we investigated the role of AMPK/NLRP3 inflammasome axis in the molecular mechanism underlying pain perception. Results: Impairment in AMPK activation induced by compound C or sunitinib, two AMPK inhibitors, provoked hyperalgesia in mice ( p < 0.001) associated with marked NLRP3 inflammasome protein activation and increased serum levels of interleukin-1b (IL-1b) (24.56 – 0.82 pg/ml) and IL-18 (23.83 – 1.882 pg/ml) compared with vehicle groups (IL-1b: 8.15 – 0.44; IL-18:4.92 – 0.4). This effect was rescued by increasing AMPK phosphorylation via metformin treatment ( p < 0.001), caloric restriction diet ( p < 0.001), or NLRP3 inflammasome genetic inactivation using NLRP3 knockout (nlrp3-/ - ) mice ( p < 0.001). Deficient AMPK activation and overactivation of NLRP3 inflammasome axis were also observed in blood cells from patients with fibromyalgia (FM), a prevalent human chronic pain disease. In addition, metformin treatment (200 mg/daily), which increased AMPK activation, restored all biochemical alterations examined by us in blood cells and significantly improved clinical symptoms, such as, pain, fatigue, depression, disturbed sleep, and tender points, in patients with FM. Innovation and Conclusions: These data suggest that AMPK/NLRP3 inflammasome axis participates in chronic pain and that NLRP3 inflammasome inhibition by AMPK modulation may be a novel therapeutic target to fight against chronic pain and inflammatory diseases as FM. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 24, 157–170.Junta de Andalucía CTS11

Rapid thermal annealing behavior of amorphous SiC layers deposited by electron cyclotron resonance plasma

The archival version of this work was published in Journal of the electrochemical society 143.1 (1996): 271-277Hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide, a‐SiC:H, has been deposited by electron cyclotron resonance plasmas. Operating in methane excess (Formula flow ratios between 2 and 4) and at high enough microwave powers, the deposited SiC films are close to stoichiometric. In these SiC layers, only small traces of the Formula and Formula stretching bands can be detected. Rapid thermal annealing leads to nearly complete dehydrogenation of the SiC layers deposited under these conditions as deduced from ellipsometric and infrared spectroscopy

Manufacturing System Design in Industry 5.0: Incorporating Sociotechnical Systems and Social Metabolism for Human-Centered, Sustainable, and Resilient Production

This paper delves into the concept of social metabolism as a foundation for the development of sociotechnical systems in Industry 5.0. The study conducts an analysis of the existing methods and approaches for designing sociotechnical systems, and reviews publications that utilize such systems to incorporate Industry 4.0 technologies into manufacturing processes. Additionally, it examines the three key factors of Industry 5.0 and the enabling framework of Industry 4.0 technologies. Based on these investigations, a theoretical model is proposed for manufacturing system design, employing sociotechnical systems to integrate Industry 4.0 enabling technologies, while considering the essential aspects of Industry 5.0. The model emphasizes the early consideration of sociotechnical systems to design manufacturing systems that prioritize human-centricity, sustainability, and resilience. By embracing this comprehensive approach, the proposed model contributes to the realization of a production environment aligned with societal needs, fostering a more conscious and adaptable industry

Social smart manufacturing systems in industry 5.0: values as integrators between the operator and technology

La Industria 4.0 tiene entre sus principales objetivos el desarrollo e implementación de sistemas ciberfísicos impulsados por las tecnologías avanzadas de la comunicación e información. Este carácter da como resultado sistemas de fabricación que denotan una importante pérdida de valor social. La Industria 5.0 surge en este contexto para facilitar la incorporación, entre otros, de principios de sostenibilidad social en la interacción de los operadores con la tecnología dentro de los procesos de fabricación avanzada. En el presente trabajo se evalúa el grado de impacto que la tecnología desarrollada en el seno de la Industria 4.0 está produciendo en los operadores. Además, se analiza cómo la inclusión de Valores Sociales en los diferentes niveles de aplicación: macro (organizacional), meso (planta de producción) y micro (puesto de trabajo), permite garantizar la integración entre el operador y las nuevas tecnologías en los sistemas de interacción hombre-máquina. Por último, se presentan los desafíos que surgen en torno a este paradigma de fabricación, para ofrecer una visión de futuro que sea beneficiosa en la práctica de los entornos industriales social-inteligentes.Industry 4.0 has among its main objectives the development and implementation of cyberphysical systems driven by advanced communication and information technologies. This carácter results in manufacturing systems that denote a significant loss of social value. Industry 5.0 arises in this context to facilitate the incorporation, among others, of social sustainability principles in the interaction of operators with technology within advanced manufacturing processes. In the present work, the level of impact that the technology developed within Industry 4.0 is producing in the operators is evaluated. In addition, it analyzes how the inclusion of Social Values in the different levels of application: macro (organizational), meso (manufacturing plant) and micro (workstation), allows to guarantee the integration between the operator and the new technologies in the human-machine interaction systems. Finally, the challenges that arise around this manufacturing paradigm are presented to offer a vision of the future that is beneficial in the practice of social-smart industrial environments

Designing a Technological Pathway to Empower Vocational Education and Training in the Circular Wood and Furniture Sector through Extended Reality

Extended Reality (XR) is a term that refers to virtual, augmented, and, more recently, mixed reality (VR/AR//MR), which are key enabling technologies of the Industry 4.0 (I4.0) and the simulated digital environment of the metaverse. XR enables the simulation of workplace scenarios, providing workers with training in a risk-free environment, resulting in cost savings, improved occupational risk prevention, and enhanced decision-making processes. XR is ideal for supporting digital transformation for organisations in fields such as production, occupational risk prevention, maintenance, and marketing. XR is also a key driver for training initiatives aimed at promoting good practices in the circular economy in specific sectors such as woodworking and furniture (W&F). The European Commission has recognised the potential of XR for the W&F sector, funding initiatives such as the European project, Allview, which seeks to identify the most appropriate and beneficial technologies of I4.0 with a green and digital transition focus from the perspective of vocational education and training (VET). This paper presents the work carried out within the framework of Allview, including the research and comparison of current software and hardware of XR tools suitable for VET in the W&F field, a review of successful examples of XR applied to W&F training actions, and an analysis of the opinions gathered from European students, teachers, and training organisations regarding the use of XR in education. As a result, the authors present a training pathway aimed at the development and implementation of a XR training scenario/lab/environment focused on VR, 360° videos, and MR, as a guideline for developing immersive XR training contents, contributing to the digital and green transformation of VET in the W&F sector

Assessing the Effects of User Accountability in Contracting Out

How does contracting out affect service performance? Evidence to date is mixed. We argue that this is partially due to prior studies focusing often on whether – not how – services are contracted. Yet, how services are contracted matters. In particular, we argue that whether users pay user fees for services to contractors affects efficiency. Where they do, contractor revenue depends on user satisfaction and contractors face incentives to provide quality services to users to retain revenue. Where, by contrast, governments fund services, information asymmetry about the quality of services users receive allows contractors to shirk quality. The assertion is substantiated by empirical evidence derived from a comprehensive analysis of conditional efficiency within the water supply services across 2,111 municipalities in Spain, employing a two-stage Conditional Order-M Data Panel estimation. Our results show that contracting out where users pay service fees and thus have incentives to hold contractors accountable outperforms contracting out without user fees in quality-adjusted service provision