Universal temporal features of rankings in competitive sports and games

Many complex phenomena, from the selection of traits in biological systems to hierarchy formation in social and economic entities, show signs of competition and heterogeneous performance in the temporal evolution of their components, which may eventually lead to stratified structures such as the wealth distribution worldwide. However, it is still unclear whether the road to hierarchical complexity is determined by the particularities of each phenomena, or if there are universal mechanisms of stratification common to many systems. Human sports and games, with their (varied but simplified) rules of competition and measures of performance, serve as an ideal test bed to look for universal features of hierarchy formation. With this goal in mind, we analyse here the behaviour of players and team rankings over time for several sports and games. Even though, for a given time, the distribution of performance ranks varies across activities, we find statistical regularities in the dynamics of ranks. Specifically the rank diversity, a measure of the number of elements occupying a given rank over a length of time, has the same functional form in sports and games as in languages, another system where competition is determined by the use or disuse of grammatical structures. Our results support the notion that hierarchical phenomena may be driven by the same underlying mechanisms of rank formation, regardless of the nature of their components. Moreover, such regularities can in principle be used to predict lifetimes of rank occupancy, thus increasing our ability to forecast stratification in the presence of competition

Avian responses to an extreme weather event: The case of the ‘Filomena’ snowstorm in Madrid (central Spain)

[EN] Cold spells and severe weather may have detrimental effects in wild birds, but owing to the stochastic nature of these events, it is not always possible to measure their impacts. In January 2021, a strong snowstorm known as ‘Filomena’ affected Spain, mainly the region of Madrid (Central Spain), which was fully covered with snow and suffered freezing temperatures for a fortnight. Using bird surveys conducted in the winter-spring of 2020 and 2021 (before and after Filomena) at same locations, we addressed the possible impact of the cold spell in three widespread gamebirds: Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus), Eurasian Magpie (Pica pica) and Red-legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa). No significant abundance differences were found between years for none of the species and hunting pressure was only significantly reduced for Partridges, hence this species may have been negatively affected by Filomena. Results suggest that in response to Filomena, Pigeons conducted partial migration in search of better conditions, while Magpies aggregated in certain areas of Madrid and Partridges endured the harsh conditions within their home ranges. Our results highlight the importance to alleviate negative impacts of extreme weather events in wild birds through management actions, especially for sedentary species.SIFundación Artemisa

Vinculación entre patrimonio y las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación

Los museos tienden a ser cada día más digitales e interactivos y con menos piezas físicas, ejemplos se pueden observar en el Museo Interactivo de Economía (MIDE) 2006, Museo Universitario de Arte Contemporáneo (MUAC) 2008, Museo Rufino Tamayo remodelación 2012, Museo Memoria y Tolerancia (MYT) 1999, entre otros. Así como el auge de los museos virtuales y la incorporación de las Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación (TIC) en la documentación, conservación y difusión del patrimonio.Coordinación de Posgrado de Ciencias y Artes para el Diseñ

Desarrollo de un proceso para crear entornos virtuales y mostrar los sitios reservados del patrimonio arqueológico en México, y promover el turismo: caso de estudio zona arqueológica de Palenque, Chiapas

264 páginas. Maestría en Diseño.Una de las estrategias del gobierno de México conforme al Acuerdo Nacional por el Turismo para el desarrollo económico es la difusión del patrimonio histórico arquitectónico y arqueológico. ¿Qué pasa cuando los sitios patrimoniales tienen zonas reservadas y de acceso restringido generando desconocimiento de: tumbas, frisos, estelas, cerámica, ofrendas, excavaciones, cultura, entre otros? ¿El desarrollo de un Entorno Virtual con las Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación puede favorecer la conservación de zonas arqueológicas restringidas y promover el turismo? Con apoyo de las TIC se busca desarrollar un Entorno Virtual con el fin de mostrar, promover el turismo, así como mejorar la experiencia de usuario. Siempre respetando el medio ambiente natural, cultural y social en sitio, es decir sin intervenir con herramientas de medición o fotográficas que invadan y dañen el lugar

Hunting Levels of Turtle Dove (Streptopelia turtur) at Sites Where Food Is Provided: Implications for Sustainable Harvesting

[EN] The European turtle dove (Streptopelia turtur) is an important gamebird in south-western Europe, and in some areas a significant proportion of hunting grounds conduct targeted management aiming to increase its breeding densities and hunting opportunities, mainly through food provision. Using harvest data from managed grounds, we estimated the productivity (juvenile/adult ratio), the harvesting levels and the local turtle dove abundance before the hunting season, the latter being compared to the number of birds observed by hunters in food plots. Our research found high values of productivity and significant differences between the estimated abundance and the number of birds observed by hunters, which suggests that in a high proportion of grounds, the latter method may have led to bird overestimation and overharvesting. As managed grounds for the turtle dove may increase the productivity and recruitment of the species, it is crucial to ensure sustainable harvesting through (1) bird monitoring based on transects to calculate abundance and (2) promoting regulations to adjust the number of hunting days.SIThis study was funded by Junta de Extremadura and core funds from Fundación Artemisan

Modelling human behaviour in a bumper car ride using molecular dynamics tools: a student project

Amusement parks are excellent laboratories of physics, not only to check physical laws, but also to investigate if those physical laws might also be applied to human behaviour. A group of Physics Engineering students from Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya has investigated if human behaviour, when driving bumper cars, can be modelled using tools borrowed from the analysis of molecular dynamics simulations, such as the radial and angular distribution functions. After acquiring several clips and obtaining the coordinates of the cars, those magnitudes are computed and analysed. Additionally, an analogous hard disks system is simulated to compare its distribution functions to those obtained from the cars' coordinates. Despite the clear difference between bumper cars and a hard disk-like particle system, the obtained distribution functions are very similar. This suggests that there is no important effect of the individuals in the collective behaviour of the system in terms of structure. The research, performed by the students, has been undertaken in the frame of a motivational project designed to approach the scientific method for university students named FISIDABO. This project offers both the logistical and technical support to undertake the experiments designed by students at the amusement park of Barcelona TIBIDABO and accompanies them all along the scientific process.Postprint (published version

Plasma functionalized surface of commodity polymers for dopamine detection

We have fabricated potentially generalizable sensors based on polymeric-modified electrodes for the electrochemical detection of dopamine. Sensitive and selective sensors have been successfully obtained by applying a cold-plasma treatment during 1–2 min not only to conducting polymers but also to electrochemically inert polymers, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polycaprolactone and polystyrene. The effects of the plasma in the electrode surface activation, which is an essential requirement for the dopamine detection when inert polymers are used, have been investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Results indicate that exposure of polymer-modified electrodes to cold-plasma produces the formation of a large variety of reactive species adsorbed on the electrode surface, which catalyse the dopamine oxidation. With this technology, which is based on the application of a very simple physical functionalization, we have defined a paradox-based paradigm for the fabrication of electrochemical sensors by using inert and cheap plastics.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

A comparative study on the passivation and localized corrosion of α, β, and α + β brass in borate buffer solutions containing sodium chloride—I. Electrochemical data

The passivation and localized corrosion of α-, β-, and (α + β)-brass in borate-boric acid buffer solutions (pH 9) containing different NaCl concentrations (cNaCl) were studied comparatively using conventional electrochemical techniques at 25 °C. The passivation of brass in borate-boric acid buffer was due to the electroformation of a complex passive layer consisting of ZnO · xH2O and Cu2O—CuO. In NaCl-containing borate-boric acid buffer the breakdown of the passive layer occurs leading to pitting corrosion when the applied potential exceeds a certain critical value, Eb. For a given type of brass, the value of Eb is shifted negatively as cNaCl is increased. At a constant cNaCl the localized corrosion resistance of brass increases in the following order (α + β)-brass ≅ β-brass < α-brass. For all brass the localized corrosion resistance was lower than that of polycrystalline Cu, but considerably greater than that of polycrystalline Zn. Passive film composition and de-alloying can account for the localized corrosion resistance of these alloys.Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y AplicadasFacultad de Ciencias Exacta

A comparative study on the passivation and localized corrosion of α, β, and α + β brass in borate buffer solutions containing sodium chloride—I. Electrochemical data

The passivation and localized corrosion of α-, β-, and (α + β)-brass in borate-boric acid buffer solutions (pH 9) containing different NaCl concentrations (cNaCl) were studied comparatively using conventional electrochemical techniques at 25 °C. The passivation of brass in borate-boric acid buffer was due to the electroformation of a complex passive layer consisting of ZnO · xH2O and Cu2O—CuO. In NaCl-containing borate-boric acid buffer the breakdown of the passive layer occurs leading to pitting corrosion when the applied potential exceeds a certain critical value, Eb. For a given type of brass, the value of Eb is shifted negatively as cNaCl is increased. At a constant cNaCl the localized corrosion resistance of brass increases in the following order (α + β)-brass ≅ β-brass < α-brass. For all brass the localized corrosion resistance was lower than that of polycrystalline Cu, but considerably greater than that of polycrystalline Zn. Passive film composition and de-alloying can account for the localized corrosion resistance of these alloys.Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y AplicadasFacultad de Ciencias Exacta

Sistemas de Acceso Inteligente a la Información Biomédica: una revisión

Modern medical environment is characterized by the work overload and the lack of time. In such an environment, intelligent information access systems can undoubtedly assist the work of physicians and researchers. Nonetheless, despite their benefits, clinical information systems barely include these technologies. Several are the reasons. First, the potential of these strategies will only be achieved once health care professionals become familiar with them. Second, it is necessary to progress in the development of patient information standards, as well as in the use of an unified and controlled terminology. Even if important advances have been reached during the last decade, there is still much work to do.En un entorno como el de la medicina, caracterizado por la sobrecarga de trabajo y la escasez de tiempo, los sistemas inteligentes de acceso a la información pueden y deben utilizarse para facilitar la labor de investigadores y profesionales. Sin embargo, sorprende comprobar la escasa implantación de estos sistemas. Las razones son varias. En primer lugar, el potencial completo de estas estrategias sólo se alcanzará cuando la informática esté completamente integrada en la práctica médica. En segundo lugar, todavía es necesario avanzar en la estandarización de la estructura y el contenido de la información de los pacientes, así como en el uso de una terminología unificada y controlada. Aunque, especialmente durante la última década, los avances en ambos sentidos han sido considerables, lo cierto es que todavía queda mucho camino por recorrer