The Smart Power Cell concept

This dissertation describes a novel architecture and operational concept for a future electric power system. The architecture and operational concept were developed as a solution to the technical challenges which result from the ongoing decommissioning of conventional power plants and the mass scale integration of distributed and renewable energy sources. In particular, the architecture aims at ensuring the efficient, secure and stable operation of a future power system by enabling the coordinated operation of its distribution and transmission grids. To this, in the first part of the dissertation, the Smart Power Cell concept is introduced. A Smart Power Cell is a subsection of the distribution domain of a future power system which is supervised and controlled by an ICT-based monitoring and control system. A Smart Power Cell can be controlled to adapt its dynamic behaviour on demand an thus be integrated into the operation of the transmission network. The dissertation then deals with the modelling and simulation of a power system organized according to the developed concept. Besides, methods for the description of the flexibility of Smart Power Cells to support the operation of a transmission network are described. In addition, a control scheme for controlling the power which a Smart Power Cell exchanges with the transmission network is presented. Finally, the developed methods are tested by means of steady-state and dynamic simulations using a combined transmission-distribution test system designed for this purpose. The dissertation closes with a summary of the main contributions and a discussion of the research efforts required to bring the Smart Power Cell concept into life

Influencing Factors On Planning Decisionmaking Among Spanish In-Service Physical Education Teachers. A Population-Based study

Introduction. Traditionally, literature has contributed qualitative approaches for studying how to plan Physical Education (PE). To our knowledge there are not quantitative populationbased studies regarding the decision-making process among in-service Spanish PE teachers. The aim of this study was to analyze possible differences in the factors of influence on planning decision-making in PE with a large sample of Spanish in-service teachers depending on their characteristics (gender, teaching experience) and the educational context (educational stage, type of school).Method. The sample consisted of 618 teachers from 15 Spanish autonomous regions (422 males and 196 females; aged 23-63 years old). An electronic version of the validated Planning Decision-Making in PE Questionnaire was applied, using the google web platform. It is composed of eight factors (curriculum standards, pre-service training, physical environment, physical activity experiences, teaching experiences, socialization by other teachers, material and equipment, and level of preparation in the subject matters).Results. The results showed differences regarding the factors of influence in planning PE between teachers, caused by personal (teaching experience) and contextual (educational stage and type of school) factors. Habitual physical activity and pre-service training influenced novel teachers more in comparison to experienced teachers. Teachers from secondary schools were influenced more by their initial training, the curriculum standards, and the material and equipment. Public school teachers were more influenced by the curriculum standards and the physical environment, than those from private schools.Conclusion. According to previous qualitative research regarding the level of teaching experience, results suggest that initial training for PE teachers should consider including higher support from experienced teachers in order to avoid the dependence on the national curriculum standards. It is important to include the use of the physical environment of the school center regarding the effect that outdoor activities have on the students’ physical activity habits in their leisure time. </jats:p

Gender differences and age-related changes in performance at the duathlon world champions

Analyze the differences in performance between genders, and changes in performance in age group category at Short distance during the ITU Duathlon World Championships held between 2005 and 2016.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Effects of a strength and stretching program, combined or Iisolated, on active flexibility in physical education setting.

Purpose. To examine the effects of a two-session-per-week strength and stretching program on sit and reach score among high-school students in the physical education setting. Methods. A sample of 46 high-school students (16 girls and 30 boys) aged 12-14 years from four classes were clustered and randomly assigned to a strength group (n=8), a stretching group (n=12), a strength + stretching group (n=16) or a control group (n=10). During physical education classes, the experimental students performed a 1-minute stretching, a 1-minute strength or a 2-minutes strength + stretching program twice a week a total of 20 weeks. Control students performed the same physical education classes, but they did not follow any strength and/or stretching program. Active flexibility (estimated by the classic sit-and-reach test) was assessed at the beginning and at the end of the intervention program. Results. The Wilcoxon test results showed that students that performed a combined strength and stretching program increased statistically significantly their active flexibility levels from pre-intervention to post-intervention (∆ = 1.8 ± 3.2 cm; p 0.05). Conclusiones. Since in physical education many curricular contents need to be developed each academic year and the subject is also restricted by its limited curriculum time allocation, teachers could improve students’ flexibility combining stretching and strength workout. Therefore, in addition to the improvement of students’ flexibility levels, this intervention program might permit regular development of other physical education curricular contents.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Differences according to modalities, distances and genders of how the triathletes carry their bicycles for the boxes during the first transition in the Spanish Championships

Introduction The purpose was to compare the proportion in the use (by elite or pro category) of the 4 types of hold-riding the bicycle during the transition between triathletes’ sex (men and women), distance or modality (Olympic, sprint, long and cross) at the Triathlon Spanish Championships. Method The sample was composed by 648 Spanish triathletes, participants of eight elite Spanish championship triathlon during 2016. Results Most of triathletes hold-ride the bike by the seat only while driving it (76.2%), followed by the handlebar (14.9%), seat-handlebar (7.1%) and stem styles (1.9%). The same tendency was showed within sex, category and race subcategories, except for Olympic (seat style was used for the 95% of triathletes), sprint (seat and handlebar styles were similar), and long (seat-handlebar and stem styles were equal). The results showed that there were statistically significantly differences in the proportion of triathletes that used each hold-riding of the bicycle between sex, race, and sex-race subcategories (p 0.05; Cramer´s V = 0.000-0.244). Discussion The difference between men and women is that men have twice the grip on the handlebars. The videos show that this may be because the groups of men in the boxes are greater than those of the women, and this sometimes forces them, to take the bike by the handlebar to control it better and avoid incidents. While in the Olympic, sprint and long-distance elite triathletes mostly used the seat style, and in the cross race the handlebar style.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tec

Comparison of the effect of a Physical Education-Based Stretching Program applied during the Warm-Up, ColdDown and both periods on hamstring extensibility in Primary Schoolchildren.

Purpose. To compare the effects of a physical education-based stretching program applied during the warm-up, cold-down and both periods on hamstring extensibility in primary schoolchildren. Methods. A sample of 237 schoolchildren aged 7-12 years old (128 girls and 109 boys) from two primary school centres participated in the present study and met satisfactorily the inclusion and exclusion criteria. A cluster randomized controlled trial design was used. The classes balanced by grade were randomly assigned to the warm-up (n = 57), cold-down (n = 55), both periods (n = 61) or control groups (n = 64). During the physical education sessions, the students from the interventional groups performed a four-minute stretching program twice a week for eight weeks. The intervention program was applied during the warm-up (4 minutes), cold-down (4 minutes) and warm-up (2 minutes)-cold-down (2 minutes) for the warm-up, cold-down and both periods groups, respectively. Hamstring extensibility (estimated by the back-saver sit-and-reach test) was assessed at the beginning and at the end of the intervention program. Results. The one-way ANOVA (p 0.05). Conclusions. In order to develop students’ flexibility, PE teachers should apply stretching programs during the cold-down period. Due to the negative effect of static stretching on performance as previously found in the literature, it seems that PE teachers should improve students´ flexibility during the cool-down period of the sessions.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Innovative teaching units applied to physical education – changing the curriculum management for authentic outcomes

The aim of this article is to reflect on the original attributes that define planning in order to reformulate the concept of teaching units in Physical Education (PE), providing teachers with new structures of planning that allow them to achieve authentic outcomes. Some issues related to students’ learning are raised as regards the duration of a traditional teaching unit, as well as the total time amount and allocation dedicated to students’ learning. Based on previous psychological and learning theories, as well as on in-service teachers’ experience, four proposals of innovative teaching units are provided. Providing opportunities for significant and meaningful learning level in PE is not an easy task for teachers. The main objective of the proposals is to provide students with substantial learning experiences and to accomplish authentic outcomes by planning PE classes. Intermittent, alternated, irregular, and reinforced teaching units are analysed. The proposals focus on new approaches to time allocation in PE, and on a renovated concept of unit planning and curriculum design. Several applications for each type of teaching unit are shown in order to highlight PE teachers’ opportunities to innovate their planning. The proposals of intermittent, alternated, irregular, and reinforced teaching units could guide teachers through planning of PE based on related learning and may provide an effective tool for PE planning to overcome learning deficiencies attributed to traditional teaching units

Differences in physical activity levels in school-based contexts – influence of gender, age, and body weight status

The purposes of this study were to compare the objectively measured physical activity levels across physical education, school playtime and extra-curricular sport in secondary school students, as well as to examine the influence of gender, age, and body weight status on adolescents’ objective physical activity levels in these contexts. A hundred and two secondary school students (age 12.53±1.56 years) participated in the present study. Students’ objective physical activity levels were estimated by the multi-sensor device SenseWear Pro2 Armband during a physical education, school playtime and extra-curricular sport session. The result of the one-way multivariate analysis of covariance indicated statistically significant higher values of steps/ min, average metabolic equivalent of task, and time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in extracurricular sport than in physical education and school playtime (p<.001). Additionally, metabolic equivalent of task values were statistically significantly greater in physical education than in school playtime (p<.001). On the other hand, the results of the two-way multivariate analyses of covariance showed an influence of gender and age on physical activity levels in these contexts (p<.001), whilst for body weight status no influence was found (p>.05). This preliminary evidence could inform and guide future policy regarding the promotion of physical activity among adolescents in these important school-based contexts. Since physical activity engagement in compulsory physical activity contexts, such as physical education lessons, is clearly insufficient, parents, teachers and institutions should encourage students to achieve health-related physical activity levels during their free time

Comparing the Effect of Rational and Emotional Appeals on Donation Behavior

We present evidence from a pre-registered experiment indicating that a philosophical argument––a type of rational appeal––can persuade people to make charitable donations. The rational appeal we used follows Singer’s well-known “shallow pond” argument (1972), while incorporating an evolutionary debunking argument (Paxton, Ungar, & Greene 2012) against favoring nearby victims over distant ones. The effectiveness of this rational appeal did not differ significantly from that of a well-tested emotional appeal involving an image of a single child in need (Small, Loewenstein, and Slovic 2007). This is a surprising result, given evidence that emotions are the primary drivers of moral action, a view that has been very influential in the work of development organizations. We did not find support for our pre-registered hypothesis that combining our rational and emotional appeals would have a significantly stronger effect than either appeal in isolation. However, our finding that both kinds of appeal can increase charitable donations is cause for optimism, especially concerning the potential efficacy of well-designed rational appeals. We consider the significance of these findings for moral psychology, ethics, and the work of organizations aiming to alleviate severe poverty