To Rehabilitate the Habitability. Scenario Simulation for Consolidated Urban Areas in Warm Regions

Present research seeks to analyse the extent to which CO2 emissions can be diminished by means of different measures of energy efficiency simulated in a consolidated urban area on the Mediterranean coast. The study focuses its scope in analysing the incidence of summer climatic conditions over a Nineteenth Century urban fabric. Assessment is through the establishment of three scales of intervention: the neighbourhood, the plot and the building. These scales are assessed by three different scenarios, the original and two retrofit proposals. The study demonstrates that a potential reduction of CO2 emissions takes place if a retrofit programme is jointly undertaken at the three different scales. It also reveals how specific actions can reduce indirect emissions depending on the location, orientation and wind regimes, and how diverse typologies of buildings behave differently according to their location in the neighbourhood, in the plot and according their envelope

Influence of peroxometallic intermediaries present on polyoxometalates nanoparticles surface on the adipic acid synthesis

The cyclohexene oxidation by hydrogen peroxide catalysed by polyoxometalates (POM) has been shown as an adequate green route for the adipic acid synthesis. In this study, it has been demonstrated that POM's salts are effective catalysts for this reaction and how peroxopolyoxometalates intermediaries are the truly responsible species of the POM's salts catalytic activity and solubility. However, the latter can be reduced by calcining the catalyst previously. Polyoxomolybdates salts generally present a higher activity than polyoxotungstenates salts. Finally, it must be remarked the positive effect exerted by the acetic acid stabilising the peroxide of hydrogen against its decomposition.The authors thank the Generalitat Valenciana and FEDER (PROMETEO/2009/047), and MICINN and Plan E (CTQ2012-31762) for the financial support

Zirconia-supported 11-molybdovanadophosphoric acid catalysts: effect of the preparation method on their catalytic activity and selectivity

The oxidation of adamantane with hydrogen peroxide catalyzed by zirconia-supported 11-molybdovanadophosphoric acid is shown to be a suitable green route for the synthesis of adamantanol and adamantanone. This work evaluates how the catalyst activity and selectivity are affected by some of its preparative parameters, such as the method for supporting the catalytically active heteropoly acid over the zirconia matrix or the pretreatments applied to the resulting materials before being used as heterogeneous catalysts. Our results indicate that the most effective catalysts able to maintain their activity after several reaction runs are those prepared by following the sol-gel route, whereas the most selective catalysts are those obtained by impregnation methods. Moreover, the calcination temperature has also been identified as a relevant parameter influencing the performance of catalysts based on supported heteropoly acids. The increasing catalytic activity observed over several consecutive reaction runs has been attributed to the formation of peroxo derivatives of polyoxometalate clusters at the surface of the catalyst and their accumulation after each reaction cycle.Funding for this research was provided by: Generalitat Valenciana (grant No. PROMETE/2018/076); Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (grant No. CTQ2015– 64801-R); Obra Social la Caixa, Fundación Caja Navarra and Universidad Pública de Navarra (contract to SR in the framework of the program ‘Captación de Talento’)

Chemical Activation of Lignocellulosic Precursors and Residues: What Else to Consider?

This paper provides the basis for understanding the preparation and properties of an old, but advanced material: activated carbon. The activated carbons discussed herein are obtained from “green” precursors: biomass residues. Accordingly, the present study starts analyzing the components of biomass residues, such as cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, and the features that make them suitable raw materials for preparing activated carbons. The physicochemical transformations of these components during their heat treatment that lead to the development of a carbonized material, a biochar, are also considered. The influence of the chemical activation experimental conditions on the yield and porosity development of the final activated carbons are revised as well, and compared with those for physical activation, highlighting the physicochemical interactions between the activating agents and the lignocellulosic components. This review incorporates a comprehensive discussion about the surface chemistry that can be developed as a result of chemical activation and compiles some results related to the mechanical properties and conformation of activated carbons, scarcely analyzed in most published papers. Finally, economic, and environmental issues involved in the large-scale preparation of activated carbons by chemical activation of lignocellulosic precursors are commented on as well.This research was funded by Generalitat Valenciana (PROMETEO/2018/076), European Commission/FEDER, and the University of Alicante (VIGROB-136)

Effect of the stabilisation time of pitch fibres on the molecular sieve properties of carbon fibres

The stabilisation of pitch fibres (PFs) is the most important step for their subsequent use in the preparation of carbon fibres (CFs) and their resulting characteristics. The present work studies the influence that the stabilisation time has on the porosity of the CFs, and on the subsequent properties as carbon molecular sieve (CMS). The increase of the stabilisation time carried out at 573 K, from 2 to 8 h favours their CMS properties producing a decrease in the microposity accessible to N2, which gets completely blocked after 6 and 8 h, while the narrow microporosity (V-DR CO2) remains accessible. Adsorption kinetic studies with CH4 and CO2 were performed to assess the possibility of using these CFs as CMS by comparing them with Takeda 3A CMS. The results suggest that there is an optimal stabilisation time which allows the preparation of CFs from an abundant raw precursor with properties similar to Takeda 3A CMS.MCYT (PPQ2003-03884)

I walk, therefore I am: a multidimensional study on the influence of the locomotion method upon presence in virtual reality

[EN] A defining virtual reality (VR) metric is the sense of presence, a complex, multidimensional psychophysical construct that represents how intense is the sensation of actually being there, inside the virtual environment (VE), forgetting how technology mediates the experience. Our paper explores how locomotion influences presence, studying two different ways of artificial movement along the VE: walking-in-place (through head bobbing detection) and indirect walking (through touchpad). To evaluate that influence, a narrative-neutral maze was created, from where 41 participants (N=41) had to escape. Measuring presence is a controversial topic since there is not a single, objective measure but a wide range of metrics depending on the different theoretical basis. For this reason, we have used for the first time, representative metrics from all three traditional dimensions of presence: subjective presence (SP) (self-reported through questionnaires), behavioral presence (BP) (obtained from unconscious reactions while inside the VE), and physiological presence (PP) [usually measured using heart rate or electrodermal activity (EDA)]. SP was measured with the ITC-SOPI questionnaire, BP by collecting the participants' reactions, and PP by using a bracelet that registered EDA. The results show two main findings: (i) There is no correlation between the different presence metrics. This opens the door to a simpler way of measuring presence in an objective, reliable way. (ii) There is no significant difference between the two locomotion techniques for any of the three metrics, which shows that the authenticity of VR does not rely on how you move within the VE.Soler-Domínguez, JL.; Juan-Ripoll, CD.; Contero, M.; Alcañiz Raya, ML. (2020). I walk, therefore I am: a multidimensional study on the influence of the locomotion method upon presence in virtual reality. Journal of Computational Design and Engineering. 7(5):577-590. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcde/qwaa040S57759075Baños, R. M., Botella, C., Garcia-Palacios, A., Villa, H., Perpiña, C., & Alcañiz, M. (2000). Presence and Reality Judgment in Virtual Environments: A Unitary Construct? CyberPsychology & Behavior, 3(3), 327-335. doi:10.1089/10949310050078760Biocca, F. (1992). Will Simulation Sickness Slow Down the Diffusion of Virtual Environment Technology? Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 1(3), 334-343. doi:10.1162/pres.1992.1.3.334Biocca, F., Harms, C., & Burgoon, J. K. (2003). Toward a More Robust Theory and Measure of Social Presence: Review and Suggested Criteria. Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 12(5), 456-480. doi:10.1162/105474603322761270Boletsis, C. (2017). The New Era of Virtual Reality Locomotion: A Systematic Literature Review of Techniques and a Proposed Typology. Multimodal Technologies and Interaction, 1(4), 24. doi:10.3390/mti1040024Boletsis, C., & Cedergren, J. E. (2019). VR Locomotion in the New Era of Virtual Reality: An Empirical Comparison of Prevalent Techniques. Advances in Human-Computer Interaction, 2019, 1-15. doi:10.1155/2019/7420781Bowman, D. A., Koller, D., & Hodges, L. F. (1998). A methodology for the evaluation of travel techniques for immersive virtual environments. Virtual Reality, 3(2), 120-131. doi:10.1007/bf01417673Bozgeyikli, E., Raij, A., Katkoori, S., & Dubey, R. (2016). Point & Teleport Locomotion Technique for Virtual Reality. Proceedings of the 2016 Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play. doi:10.1145/2967934.2968105Bozgeyikli, E., Raij, A., Katkoori, S., & Dubey, R. (2019). Locomotion in virtual reality for room scale tracked areas. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 122, 38-49. doi:10.1016/j.ijhcs.2018.08.002BRESLOW, N. (1970). A generalized Kruskal-Wallis test for comparing K samples subject to unequal patterns of censorship. Biometrika, 57(3), 579-594. doi:10.1093/biomet/57.3.579Chertoff, D. B., Goldiez, B., & LaViola, J. J. (2010). Virtual Experience Test: A virtual environment evaluation questionnaire. 2010 IEEE Virtual Reality Conference (VR). doi:10.1109/vr.2010.5444804Cohen, J. (1992). Statistical Power Analysis. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 1(3), 98-101. doi:10.1111/1467-8721.ep10768783Critchley, H. D. (2002). Review: Electrodermal Responses: What Happens in the Brain. The Neuroscientist, 8(2), 132-142. doi:10.1177/107385840200800209Hale, K. S., & Stanney, K. M. (Eds.). (2014). Handbook of Virtual Environments. doi:10.1201/b17360Larsson, P., Västfjäll, D., & Kleiner, M. (2001). The Actor-Observer Effect in Virtual Reality Presentations. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 4(2), 239-246. doi:10.1089/109493101300117929Lee, K. M. (2004). Presence, Explicated. Communication Theory, 14(1), 27-50. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2885.2004.tb00302.xLessiter, J., Freeman, J., Keogh, E., & Davidoff, J. (2001). A Cross-Media Presence Questionnaire: The ITC-Sense of Presence Inventory. Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 10(3), 282-297. doi:10.1162/105474601300343612Lilliefors, H. W. (1967). On the Kolmogorov-Smirnov Test for Normality with Mean and Variance Unknown. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 62(318), 399-402. doi:10.1080/01621459.1967.10482916Mantovani, G., & Riva, G. (1999). «Real» Presence: How Different Ontologies Generate Different Criteria for Presence, Telepresence, and Virtual Presence. Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 8(5), 540-550. doi:10.1162/105474699566459Meehan, M., Razzaque, S., Insko, B., Whitton, M., & Brooks, F. P. (2005). Review of Four Studies on the Use of Physiological Reaction as a Measure of Presence in StressfulVirtual Environments. Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, 30(3), 239-258. doi:10.1007/s10484-005-6381-3Peck, T. C., Fuchs, H., & Whitton, M. C. (2011). An evaluation of navigational ability comparing Redirected Free Exploration with Distractors to Walking-in-Place and joystick locomotio interfaces. 2011 IEEE Virtual Reality Conference. doi:10.1109/vr.2011.5759437Riva, G., Wiederhold, B. K., & Mantovani, F. (2019). Neuroscience of Virtual Reality: From Virtual Exposure to Embodied Medicine. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 22(1), 82-96. doi:10.1089/cyber.2017.29099.griSanchez-Vives, M. V., & Slater, M. (2005). From presence to consciousness through virtual reality. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 6(4), 332-339. doi:10.1038/nrn1651Sano, A., Picard, R. W., & Stickgold, R. (2014). Quantitative analysis of wrist electrodermal activity during sleep. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 94(3), 382-389. doi:10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2014.09.011Schloerb, D. W. (1995). A Quantitative Measure of Telepresence. Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 4(1), 64-80. doi:10.1162/pres.1995.4.1.64Schubert, T., Friedmann, F., & Regenbrecht, H. (2001). The Experience of Presence: Factor Analytic Insights. Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 10(3), 266-281. doi:10.1162/105474601300343603Schuemie, M. J., van der Straaten, P., Krijn, M., & van der Mast, C. A. P. G. (2001). Research on Presence in Virtual Reality: A Survey. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 4(2), 183-201. doi:10.1089/109493101300117884Sheridan, T. B. (1992). Musings on Telepresence and Virtual Presence. Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 1(1), 120-126. doi:10.1162/pres.1992.1.1.120Sheridan, T. B. (1996). Further Musings on the Psychophysics of Presence. Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 5(2), 241-246. doi:10.1162/pres.1996.5.2.241Slater, M. (2004). How Colorful Was Your Day? Why Questionnaires Cannot Assess Presence in Virtual Environments. Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 13(4), 484-493. doi:10.1162/1054746041944849Slater, M., & Steed, A. (2000). A Virtual Presence Counter. Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 9(5), 413-434. doi:10.1162/105474600566925Slater, M., & Usoh, M. (1993). Representations Systems, Perceptual Position, and Presence in Immersive Virtual Environments. Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 2(3), 221-233. doi:10.1162/pres.1993.2.3.221SLATER, M., USOH, M., & STEED, A. (1994). STEPS AND LADDERS IN VIRTUAL REALITY. Virtual Reality Software and Technology. doi:10.1142/9789814350938_0005Slater, M., Steed, A., & Usoh, M. (1995). The Virtual Treadmill: A Naturalistic Metaphor for Navigation in Immersive Virtual Environments. Virtual Environments ’95, 135-148. doi:10.1007/978-3-7091-9433-1_12Slater, M., Usoh, M., & Steed, A. (1995). Taking steps. ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction, 2(3), 201-219. doi:10.1145/210079.210084Slater, M., McCarthy, J., & Maringelli, F. (1998). The Influence of Body Movement on Subjective Presence in Virtual Environments. Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 40(3), 469-477. doi:10.1518/001872098779591368So, R. H. Y., Lo, W. T., & Ho, A. T. K. (2001). Effects of Navigation Speed on Motion Sickness Caused by an Immersive Virtual Environment. Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 43(3), 452-461. doi:10.1518/001872001775898223Steuer, J. (1992). Defining Virtual Reality: Dimensions Determining Telepresence. Journal of Communication, 42(4), 73-93. doi:10.1111/j.1460-2466.1992.tb00812.xSullivan, G. M., & Feinn, R. (2012). Using Effect Size—or Why the P Value Is Not Enough. Journal of Graduate Medical Education, 4(3), 279-282. doi:10.4300/jgme-d-12-00156.1Takatalo, J., Nyman, G., & Laaksonen, L. (2008). Components of human experience in virtual environments. Computers in Human Behavior, 24(1), 1-15. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2006.11.003Usoh, M., Catena, E., Arman, S., & Slater, M. (2000). Using Presence Questionnaires in Reality. Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 9(5), 497-503. doi:10.1162/105474600566989Welch, R. B., Blackmon, T. T., Liu, A., Mellers, B. A., & Stark, L. W. (1996). The Effects of Pictorial Realism, Delay of Visual Feedback, and Observer Interactivity on the Subjective Sense of Presence. Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 5(3), 263-273. doi:10.1162/pres.1996.5.3.263Witmer, B. G., Jerome, C. J., & Singer, M. J. (2005). The Factor Structure of the Presence Questionnaire. Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 14(3), 298-312. doi:10.1162/105474605323384654Zanbaka, C., Babu, S., Xiao, D., Ulinski, A., Hodges, L. F., & Lok, B. (s. f.). Effects of travel technique on cognition in virtual environments. IEEE Virtual Reality 2004. doi:10.1109/vr.2004.131006

In vivo antihypertensive mechanism of lactoferrin-derived peptides: Reversion of angiotensin I- and angiotensin II-induced hypertension in Wistar rats

Novel peptides with antihypertensive effects in SHR rats have previously been identified in lactoferrin (LF) hydrolysates. To investigate their in vivo antihypertensive mechanism, we have assessed the blood pressure lowering effects of two of these LF-derived peptides (RPYL and DPYKLRP) in Wistar rats subjected to either angiotensin I- or angiotensin II-induced hypertension. Blood pressure was measured by the tail-cuff method, hypertension was induced by subcutaneous infusion of angiotensins, and then captopril, valsartan or LF-derived peptides orally administered. Angiotensin I- and angiotensin II-induced hypertension were reversed by captopril and valsartan, respectively. RPYL and DPYKLRP reversed angiotensin I-induced hypertension, while DPYKLRP but not RPYL produced a modest reversion of angiotensin II-elicited hypertension. Neither RPYL nor DPYKLRP modified normotension. Thus, in vivo ACE inhibition is involved in the antihypertensive effects of LF-derived peptides like RPYL and DPYKLRP, while inhibition of AT1 receptor-mediated vasoconstriction plays a less relevant role.This work was supported by grant AGL2010-21009 from ‘Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia – FEDER’, Consolider Ingenio 2010, Fun-C-Food, CSD2007-00063 and RETICS INVICTUS RD12/0014/0004 from ‘Instituto de Salud Carlos III’. A. García-Tejedor is recipient of a predoctoral fellowship from ‘Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia’ (BES-2011-044424).Peer reviewe

Lifestyle segmentation of tourists: the role of personality

[EN] Background: The significance of national tourism in the global data highlights the importance of studying the characteristics of Spanish tourists that show interest in visiting Valencia (Spain). Personality traits might influence tourism behavior, and their importance has scarcely been addressed in the prior tourism literature. Objectives: We aimed to identify the touristic profiles of national tourists based on their lifestyles and to analyze the influence of personality traits in tourism segmentation. Methodology: 329 individuals participated in this study, they esponded questionnaires about sociodemography, personality, lifestyle and a 3-item questionnaire developed by the authors. We performed analysis to obtain profiles by lifestyle, we carried out tests to study differences in personality traits among profiles and we analyzed the effects of the responses to the author-developed questionnaire and the demographic characteristics of the subjects on their cluster membership. Results: The results show that this market can be segmented into four clusters. We found significant statistical differences in personality traits among profiles. In addition, the authors present an author-designed questionnaire that, together with demographic variables, is able to predict participants' profiles. Conclusion: The results suggest that lifestyle is an appropriate indicator for this market segmentation and the analysis of its relationship with personality provides a deep comprehension of the resulting profiles. In addition, the profile prediction by the responses to the author-developed questionnaire constitutes a new basis for tourism segmentation, as these predictors might be used as ¿quick touristic classifiers¿. Implications or recommendations: The study of decision-making rocesses in tourism allows researchers and sellers to predict tourist behaviors and adapt offers to tourists¿ preferences and interests.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness funded project "iMove: Real-time recommendation system based on the context to assist decision making of people in mobility" (RTC-2016-4951-6).Parra Vargas, E.; Juan-Ripoll, CD.; Bueno Panadero, M.; Alcañiz Raya, ML. (2021). Lifestyle segmentation of tourists: the role of personality. Heliyon. 7(7):1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e075791107

An antihypertensive lactoferrin hydrolysate inhibits angiotensin I-converting enzyme, modifies expression of hypertension-related genes and enhances nitric oxide production in cultured human endothelial cells

This study was aimed to explore whether an antihypertensive lactoferrin hydrolysate (LFH) can inhibit angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) activity and modify the expression of genes related to hypertension in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). LFH induced significant inhibition of ACE activity but it did not affect ACE mRNA levels after 24 h of exposure. LFH treatment significantly affected the expression of genes encoding for proteins involved in nitric oxide pathway such as soluble guanylate cyclase 1 α3 subunit (GUCY1A3; 4.42-fold increase) and nitric oxide synthase trafficking (NOSTRIN; 2.45-fold decrease). Furthermore, expression of the PTGS2/COX-2 gene encoding prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 a key component of prostaglandin synthesis was significantly increased (2.23-fold). Moreover, NOSTRIN mRNA downregulation was consistent with reduced NOSTRIN protein expression and increased NO production observed in HUVEC. The present study reveals the complexity of the effects exerted by LFH opening avenues for the better understanding of its antihypertensive effects.This work was supported by grant AGL2010-21009 from ‘Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia – FEDER’, Consolider Ingenio 2010, Fun-C-Food, CSD2007-00063 and RETICS INVICTUS RD12/0014/0004 from ‘Instituto de Salud Carlos III’. A. García-Tejedor is recipient of a predoctoral fellowship from ‘Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia’ (BES-2011-044424).Peer reviewe

In processu iurisfirmae procurat. fiscalis maiestatis domini nostri regis : [Escrito de la ciudad de Alcañiz, solicitando se la exima del derecho de maravedi ; y dictamen fiscal contestando

Al principio del texto en p.1, viñeta con la inscripción: "Jesus, Maria, Josef"Copia digital : Diputación Provincial de Zaragoza. Servicio de Archivos y Bibliotecas, 2010Datos del tít. tomados de p. 1 y del propio textoFecha tomada del texto , 1652Sign.: A\p4\sInic. grab. xil