Virtual sensor of insufficient lubrication in variable speed compressors

The ability to modulate the compressor’s speed and adapt the capacity to the load has permitted to decrease the annual energy consumption in many applications. However, in the compressor, having the correct lubrication at high speeds usually imply having insufficient lubrication at low speeds. This fact has to be considered by manufacturers as it limits the speed range of the compressor. In this study, a methodology to establish the working limit of a compressor is proposed. It is based on the specific consumption surface of the compressor and no oil circulation measurements are required. A compressor working between 6600 and 900rpm with propane and POE oil has been used to test the proposed methodology. The results show that lubricating issues in this compressor start at 1800rpm and rise as speed decreases.The authors would like to acknowledge the Spanish “MINISTERIO DE ECONOMIA Y COMPETITIVIDAD”, through the project ref- ENE2017-83665-C2-1-P “Maximización de la eficiencia y minimización del impacto ambiental de bombas de calor para la descarbonización de la calefacción/ acs en los edificios de consumo casi nulo” for the given support. In addition, Ruben Ossorio would like to thank the Spanish government for his PhD scholarship with reference PRE2018-083535

Beyond the initial assault: characterizing revictimization in intimate partner violence and its implications for women’s health

Recent research has emphasized the importance of addressing specific victim-related factors to reduce victims’ vulnerability and prevent future revictimization experiences. This study aimed to analyze the vulnerability profiles of women who were victims of intimate partner violence, including those who had experienced a single incident of violence and those who had endured revictimization. Participants were 338 women with active judicial protection measures registered in the system of support for victims of gender violence (VioGén) in Madrid, Spain. The analysis considered sociodemographic characteristics, victimization history, perceived triggers of violence, women’s responses and feelings, as well as clinical outcomes linked to revictimization history. The study revealed that many victims faced socioeconomic vulnerability. Furthermore, the findings underscored the intricate link between the likelihood of enduring chronic violence and women’s awareness of early indicators of violence risk, their initial responses to aggression, communication skills, and recurrent behaviors in the context of an established violent dynamic. This study offers valuable insights for law enforcement to identify the risk of revictimization. Furthermore, findings raise awareness about the particularly vulnerable situation of some women to repeated victimization experiences and provide relevant information for clinical interventionThis work was supported by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities of Spain (Grant number: PGC2018-096130-B-I00) and the funding for the predoctoral contract FPI (PRE2019-091184

Evolution and study of a copycat effect in intimate partner homicides: A lesson from Spanish femicides

Objectives This paper focuses on the issue of intimate partner violence and, specifically, on the distribution of femicides over time and the existence of copycat effects. This is the subject of an ongoing debate often triggered by the social alarm following multiple intimate partner homicides (IPHs) occurring in a short span of time. The aim of this research is to study the evolution of IPHs and provide a far-reaching answer by rigorously analyzing and searching for patterns in data on femicides. Methods The study analyzes an official dataset, provided by the system VioGén of the Secretaría de Estado de Seguridad (Spanish State Secretariat for Security), including all the femicides occurred in Spain in 2007-2017. A statistical methodology to identify temporal interdepen-dencies in count time series is proposed and applied to the dataset. The same methodology can be applied to other contexts. Results There has been a decreasing trend in the number of femicides per year. No interdependen-cies among the temporal distribution of femicides are observed. Therefore, according to data, the existence of copycat effect in femicides cannot be claimed. Conclusions Around 2011 there was a clear change in the average number of femicides which has not picked up. Results allow for an informed answer to the debate on copycat effect in Spanish femicides. The planning of femicides prevention activities should not be a reaction to a perceived increase in their occurrence. As a copycat effect is not detected in the studied time period, there is no evidence supporting the need to censor media reports on femicides.The work by Torrecilla has been partially supported by Spanish Grant MTM2016-78751-P. The research of Liberatore has been supported by the Government of Spain, grant MTM2015-65803-R, and by the Government of Madrid, grant S2013/ICE-284

Efficiency characterization of a variable speed compressor

[EN] Heat pump systems have been spreading into the heating and air conditioning industry as they offer an affordable, efficient and reliable solution. They are considered by the EU as the solution to follow in heating and cooling in order to reach the objectives in reduction of CO2 emissions. As a consequence of that, there is a growing interest in the development of more efficient heat pump systems which has motivated the introduction of many technical innovations in the last 10 years. Among these innovations, the introduction of inverter system has been quite popular. This technology could imply a significant improvement when the system has to work at non-design conditions. However, in the standards there is limited information about the characterization procedure of these systems (i.e. EN 13771-1 only refers to fixed speed or vapour injection compressors) and compressor-inverter system are characterized as a single unit. In that context, it is typical to assume a fixed power loss factor of 3-5% in the inverter. That power loss factor is considered when designing a new system but could differ in the final appliance, especially when the system runs at low speed. In conclusion, the knowledge around variable speed compressors is limited and the system is usually studied as a black box. In this study, the power of a variable speed compressor and its corresponding inverter have been measured separately in a calorimeter test bench according the specifications of the norm EN 13771-1. From these measurements, it has been possible to determine the efficiency of the compressor and the inverter independently. From these results, the aim of the study is to provide a complete analysis of the performance of a variable speed compressor system. The experimental analysis was carried out using the same compressor with two different models of inverter with the same commutation technology. The study consisted in a battery of tests in which the same compression conditions were maintained while the rotation speed of the compressor were modified from 30rps to 120rps. The results of the paper show that the speed of the compressor and the chosen inverter brand has a high effect on the efficiency. Moreover, these results can be applied to get the efficiency curve of an inverter and point out the error that can be made by designers when considering a fixed 3-5% power loss. And last but not least, the study can also set the bases for other investigations involving the reductionOssorio-Santiago, RJ.; Navarro-Peris, E.; Gonzálvez-Maciá, J.; Albaladejo, P.; López-Navarro, A. (2019). Efficiency characterization of a variable speed compressor. Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha José Antonio Almendros Ibáñez. 265-275. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/180707S26527

Short-term effects of traffic noise on suicides and emergency hospital admissions due to anxiety and depression in Madrid (Spain)

Studies show a relationship between some mental illnesses and suicides and different environmental variables such as air pollution, characterized by stress at the neuropsychological level. Despite the fact that traffic noise is also a powerful neurological stressor, studies that relate traffic noise to these mental disorders are practically non-existent. The objective is to analyze the short-term impact that chemical air pollution, traffic noise and thermal extremes have on emergency hospital admissions due to anxiety, dementia and suicides in the city of Madrid. This ecological, longitudinal study uses generalized linear models with Poisson link to analyze the short-term impact of the average daily concentrations of chemical pollutants (NO2, PM10, PM2.5, O3), noise pollution indicators (Leqday, Leqnight and Leq24h) and temperatures during heat waves (Theat) and cold waves (Tcold) on daily admissions to emergency services in the city of Madrid from 2010 to 2013 due to anxiety (ICD-10: F32), depression (ICD-10: F40-F42) and suicide (ICD-10: X60-X84). The results show no association between any of the chemical pollutants considered and the dependent variables studied. On the contrary, the values of Leqday are associated with the three variables analyzed in lag 0 for the cases of anxiety and depression and in lag 1 for suicides, with RR: 1.20 (IC95% 1.14 1.26), RR: 1.11 (IC95% 1.06 1.16) and RR: 1.17 (IC95% 1.05 1.30), respectively, for increases of 1 dB(A) in the values of Leqday. An association was also found between Tcold and admissions for anxiety in lag 9 with RR: 1.62 (IC95% 1.18 2.22) for increases of 1 °C in the values of Tcold. Traffic noise can be considered an important risk factor related to the illnesses and anxiety and depression and for suicides in the city of Madrid, although new studies are needed to support the findings shown here.The authors gratefully acknowledge Project ENPY 376/18 and Project ENPY 107/18 grants from the Institute of Health Carlos III.S

Intimate partner violence complaints during COVID-19 lockdown in Spain: a cross-sectional and a case–control study

Background: During the COVID-19 lockdown, a large proportion of the women exposed to intimate partner violence had to live with their abusers full-time. This study analyzes the new official complaints that were filed during the lockdown in Spain. Methods: Data from the Comprehensive Monitoring System for Cases of Gender Violence from the Ministry of the Interior, Spain. Using logistic regression models, the complaints registered during the lockdown were compared to those registered in the previous year. Subsequently, we analysed association between the seriousness of the incident reported and the period in which the complaint was filed. Results: Official complaints decreased by 19% during the lockdown. The probability of complaints during lockdown mainly increased when victims had a relationship with the abusers [odds ratio (OR) = 1.33] and when they lacked social support (OR = 1.22). The probability that the complaints were associated with previous jealousy (OR = 0.87), previous harassment behaviours (OR = 0.88) or the victim’s fear for minors’ safety (OR = 0.87) decreased. In addition, during lockdown increased the probability that the complaints filed were due to incidents of severe physical violence (OR = 1.17); severe psychological violence against women with minors in their charge (OR = 1.22); and severe violence due to threats (OR = 1.53) when the woman had previously suffered harassment. Conclusions: The decrease in new complaints during the studied period and the increase in their severity evidence difficulties in seeking help due to the lockdown. In situations of confinement, it is necessary to design measures that protect women with a lack of social support, and at those who live with the aggressor.This study was financed through the project ‘Gender violence and social and health responses during the COVID-19 crisis’ by the Fondo Supera COVID-19 CRUE-Santander for the period 2020–21 (Ref. FSCovid19-03)

Neuralgia Occipital: uma abordagem terapêutica não invasiva

Objetivo: avaliar a aplicação de uma intervenção não invasiva que consiste em uma modificação postural usando modelos personalizados e osteopatia em pessoas com neuralgia occipital. Método: estudo retrospectivo da intervenção realizada em população adulta com neuralgia occipital que consiste de modificação postural empregando órteses plantares personalizadas e osteopatia, em um período de estudo de quatro anos. As variáveis observadas foram: persistência de cefaleia, alinhamento dos eixos, apoio plantar, centro de gravidade e centro de massa; dados da entrevista médica, escala visual analógica, sistema de análise de marcha Win-Track e o software Kinovea para análise de vídeo (instrumentos de avaliação clínica utilizados). Resultados: foram estudados no total 34 registros de pessoas com neuralgia occipital. Uma fração de 58,8% dos pacientes informou apresentar melhoria após a intervenção. Os dados da escala visual analógica foram fornecidos para 64,7% dos registros, encontrando diferenças significativas (p<0,001) entre as médias antes (8,4±1,7) e depois da intervenção (2,6±2,7). Conclusão: a modificação postural empregando órteses personalizadas e osteopatia melhora substancialmente a sintomatologia dos pacientes com neuralgia occipital.Objective: to evaluate the application of a noninvasive intervention consisting of a postural modification using personalized models and osteopathy in people with occipital neuralgia. Method: retrospective study of the intervention performed in adult population with occipital neuralgia, consisting of postural modification using personalized plantar orthoses and osteopathy, in a study period of four years. The observed variables were: persistence of headache, alignment of the axes, plantar support, center of gravity and center of mass; medical interview data, visual analogue scale, Win-Track gait analysis system and Kinovea software for video analysis (clinical assessment instruments used). Results: a total of 34 records of people with occipital neuralgia were studied. A fraction of 58.8% of the patients reported improvement after the intervention. The visual analogue scale data were provided for 64.7% of the records and significant differences (p <0.001) between the means before (8.4 ± 1.7) and after the intervention (2.6 ± 2.7) were found. Conclusion: postural modification using personalized orthoses and osteopathy substantially improves the symptomatology of patients with occipital neuralgia.Objetivo: evaluar la aplicación de una intervención no invasiva consistente en una modificación postural empleando plantillas personalizadas y osteopatía en personas con neuralgia occipital. Método: estudio retrospectivo de la intervención llevada a cabo en población adulta con neuralgia occipital, de modificación postural empleando órtesis plantares personalizadas y osteopatía, en un período de estudio de cuatro años. Las variables observadas fueron: persistencia de cefalea, alineación de los ejes, apoyo plantar, centro de gravedad y centro de masa; datos de la entrevista médica, la escala visual análoga, el sistema de análisis de la marcha Win-Track y el software Kinovea para análisis de vídeo (instrumentos de valoración clínica utilizados). Resultados: un total de 34 registros de personas con neuralgia occipital fueron estudiados. Un 58,8% refería presentar mejoría tras la intervención. Los datos de la escala visual análoga eran proporcionados un 64,7% de los registros, encontrándose diferencias significativas (p<0,001) entre las medias previas a la intervención (8,4±1,7) y aquellas posteriores (2,6±2,7). Conclusión: la modificación postural empleando órtesis personalizadas y osteopatía mejora sustancialmente la sintomatología de los pacientes con neuralgia occipital

Environment for Education on Industry 4.0

[EN] A new industrial production model based on digitalization, system interconnection, virtualization and data exploitation, has emerged. Upgrade of production processes towards this Industry 4.0 model is one of the critical challenges for the industrial sector and, consequently, the training of students and professionals has to address these new demands. To carry out this task, it is essential to develop educational tools that allow students to interact with real equipment that implements, in an integrated way, new enabling technologies, such as connectivity with standard protocols, storage and data processing in the cloud, machine learning, digital twins and industrial cybersecurity measures. For that reason, in this work, we present an educational environment on Industry 4.0 that incorporates these technologies reproducing realistic industrial conditions. This environment includes cutting-edge industrial control system technologies, such as an industrial firewall and a virtual private network (VPN) to strengthen cybersecurity, an Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) gateway to transfer process information to the cloud, where it can be stored and analyzed, and a digital twin that virtually reproduces the system. A set of hands-on tasks for an introductory automation course have been proposed, so that students acquire a practical understanding of the enabling technologies of Industry 4.0 and of its function in a real automation. This course has been taught in a master’s degree and students have assessed its usefulness by means of an anonymous survey. The results of the educational experience have been useful both from the students’ and faculty’s viewpoint.SIAgencia estatal de investigación MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033Comité español de Automática y Siemens a través del premio ‘Automatización y Digitalización. Industria 4.0

Evaluation of Clinical Factors Predictive of Diabetes Remission Following Bariatric Surgery

Bariatric surgery is an effective treatment for achieving significant weight loss and improving metabolic comorbidities such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The aim of our study was to investigate clinical factors related to T2DM remission in obese patients who had undergone bariatric surgery. Methods: A cohort of patients with T2DM and a minimum of class II obesity undergoing bariatric surgery had their clinical and anthropometric variables assessed. The statistical evaluation included multivariate analyses of clinical factors predicting a T2DM remission two years post-surgery. Results: 83 patients were included (mean age 44.13 +/- 10.38 years). Two years post-surgery, the percentage of excess weight lost was 63.43 +/- 18.59%, and T2DM was resolved in 79.5% of the patients. T2DM remission was directly related to a high body mass index (BMI) (OR: 1.886; p = 0.022) and the absence of macro-vascular complications (OR: 34.667; p = 0.002), while it was inversely associated with T2DM with a duration longer than 5 years (OR: 0.022; p = 0.040) and baseline insulin treatment (OR: 0.001; p = 0.009). 15.6% of the patients presented early complications and 20.5% developed late complications. Conclusion: In our study sample, bariatric surgery proved to be an effective and safe technique for sustained medium-term weight loss and the resolution of T2DM. A higher baseline BMI, a shorter T2DM duration, non-insulin treatment, and the absence of macro-vascular complications are factors predictive of T2DM remission