Showing papers by "University of Lleida published in 2023"

Sleep quality is mediated by physical activity level in adolescents

Abstract: Sleep is essential for the adolescent's health and well-being. Despite existing evidence of the positive relationship between physical activity and quality of sleep, some other factors could mediate this association. The purpose of the present study was to clarify the interaction between the level of physical activity and sleep in adolescents depending on their gender.A total of 12,459 subjects 11 to 19 years old (5073 male and 5016 female) reported data regarding their quality of sleep and their level of physical activity.Better quality of sleep was reported by males regardless of the level of physical activity (d=0.25, P<0.001). Better quality of sleep was reported by active subjects (P<0.05), and it improved in both sexes as the level of physical activity was higher (P<0.001).Male adolescents have better sleep quality than females regardless of their competitive level. The higher the adolescents' physical activity level the higher the quality of sleep.

Sexing of Embryos at the Time of Twin Reduction: A Clinical Approach

Abstract: This study provides new unique information on bovine twin pairs during the late embryonic period (28–34 days of pregnancy) in relation to (1) a predictive ultrasound measurement that was differential for sexing heterosexual twins; (2) intrauterine embryonic growth patterns in twin pairs; and (3) a higher vulnerability of female embryos compared to males following an induced embryo reduction in heterosexual twins. The study population comprised 92 dairy cows carrying bilateral twins. A length difference between co-twins equal to or greater than 25% in around 50% of pregnancies served to determine the sex of embryos with 100% accuracy in heterosexual twins, which was assessed four weeks later on the remaining fetus after twin reduction. The apparent rates of growth of twin pairs and of individual male and female embryos from day 28 to 34 of gestation were similar to established growth pattern standards for singletons. Mean embryo sizes in relation to gestational age were smaller by some 5 days’ growth equivalent in twins compared to singletons. After the reduction in the female embryo in heterosexual twins, the risk of male embryo loss was null. This new information allowed for sex selection at the time of twin reduction.

Integrability of the Tolman–Oppenheimer–Volkoff equation

Abstract: In this work we study the global analytic integrability, Louville integrability and Puiseux integrability of the Tolman–Oppenheimer–Volkoff equation.

Leadership and Social Cohesion in Merovingian Gaul and Visigothic Spain : The Case of Military Groups

Abstract: The aim of this chapter is to examine the mechanisms used by secular authority and the aristocracy to exert leadership among military groups in Merovingian Gaul and Visigothic Spain. Moreover, the chapter will study how social cohesion was created by kings and elites among armed groups within the aforementioned regna. With that aim, I will examine the manner in which the narrative and legal sources of the period describe and characterize such processes. My hypothesis is that elements such as violence, the control of resources (money, goods, lands, and positions of institutional power), and beliefs and symbols of authority were used by the Merovingian and Visigothic kings and armed groups in order to strengthen leadership and create social cohesion.

Experimental study of the unconstrained melting of a phase change material for air-conditioning applications

Abstract: This study analyzed the RT8HC melting in a spherical vessel employing air as a heat transfer fluid. The phase change process was followed both visually and by thermal measurements. Photographs and thermographs allow the following phases' evolution and melting mechanisms. We observed that the melting process was not symmetric around the vertical axis; implications of non-symmetric conditions on the melting mechanisms and heat transfer are discussed and analyzed. This work also includes the effects of outer water vapor condensation on heat transfer in the analyses. We proposed a mathematical model to quantify the heat flux that only requires humidity and temperature measurements and considers both heat convection and condensation effects. Results show that condensation significantly affects heat transfer during the initial stage of the melting process. Besides, these effects extend beyond the condensation time due to the liquid film draining from the spherical vessel surface. Regarding thermography, this technique may be a valuable tool for analyzing and following melting processes inside vessels; however, the presence of liquid film over the sphere affects the temperature measurements obtained from the thermograph analysis. This investigation provides relevant information about using phase change materials in cold thermal energy storage applications, latent thermal loads, and humidity control, which are essential aspects of air-conditioning system designs.

Growing up in Poe’s Shadow: Intertextuality, Jungian Projections, and the Anxiety of Influence in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” and Stephen King’s “The Monkey”

Abstract: Critics such as Burton R. Pollin (2004) have referred to the influence that Edgar Allan Poe’s tales have exerted on Stephen King’s fiction. More recently, from a psychoanalytic perspective, Rachel McCoppin (2019) has argued that Poe’s narrators display arrested psychic growth because they refuse to examine the shadow within their self. The mentoring role that Poe and his tales played throughout King’s early short fiction may be symbolically interpreted as the Jungian shadow that King needed to face in order to propel his creative growth as an author. King’s process of apprenticeship in relation to Poe may also be approached by means of Harold Bloom’s notion of the anxiety of influence, which entails the psychological struggle that aspiring writers must bear with the aim to overcome the unease arising from the awe-inspiring shadow of their literary predecessors. This chapter will approach Poe’s legacy as a symbolic shadow along King’s early phase of creativity and will consider instances of Bloom’s different stages concerning the anxiety of influence by means of a comparative analysis between Poe’s tale “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” (1841) and King’s short story “The Monkey” (1980).

Modelos y teorías en las ciencias

Abstract: Existen conceptos clave en las diversas ciencias (ya sean formales, naturales, biosociales o sociales) como “teoría” o “modelo” que están aún hoy sujetos a un amplio debate epistemológico, i.e. desde la teoría del conocimiento, y centrada en el estudio del conocimiento científico en particular. Los científicos, pues, construyen y utilizan diferentes nociones que cargan tras de sí realmente con un exhaustivo debate extracientífico sobre su naturaleza. En este trabajo se ofrecerán algunas aclaraciones y propuestas formales de definición sobre tales nociones desde la filosofía de la ciencia del astrofísico y filósofo Gustavo Esteban Romero (G. E. Romero). En concreto se ensayarán unas definiciones formales de “teoría” y “modelo”, para las ciencias actuales (y otras disciplinas pasibles de su aplicación), y se contextualizarán estas ideas en el debate sobre la estructura y organización de los saberes científicos.

Where You Sleep Tells What You Care About

Abstract: Abstract Online reviews are valuable sources of information that can help other tourists gain an idea of the destination they seek. The aim of this research is to examine what types of content is reviewed by hotel guests and Airbnb guests in two of the main urban tourist cities in Spain (Barcelona and Madrid) to distinguish content between the destination where the accommodation is located and to observe variations on users of these platforms when they write reviews. Comparing more than one million reviews posted on TripAdvisor and Airbnb through compositional data analysis (CoDa), results show that there are different patterns between Barcelona and Madrid and between their accommodation mode according to the reviews. This study can help researchers and managers know what useful information can be extracted from online travel reviews.

Drainage assessment of irrigation districts: on the precision and accuracy of four parsimonious models

Abstract: Abstract. In semi-arid irrigated environments, the agricultural drainage is at the heart of three agro-environmental issues: it is an indicator of water productivity, it is the main control to prevent soil salinization and waterlogging problems, and it is related to the health of downstream ecosystems. Crop water balance models combined with subsurface models can be used to estimate the drainage quantities and dynamics at various spatial scales. However, the precision (capacity of a model to fit the observed drainage using site-specific calibration) and accuracy (capacity of a model to approximate observed drainage using default input parameters) of such models have not yet been assessed in irrigated areas. To fill the gap, this study evaluates four parsimonious drainage models based on the combination of two surface models (RU and SAMIR) and two subsurface models (Reservoir and SIDRA) with varying complexity levels: RU-Reservoir, RU-SIDRA, SAMIR-Reservoir, and SAMIR-SIDRA. All models were applied over two sub-basins of the Algerri-Balaguer irrigation district, northeastern Spain, that are equipped with surface and subsurface drains driving the drained water to general outlets where the discharge is continuously monitored. Results show that RU-Reservoir is the most precise (average KGE (Q0.5) of 0.87), followed by SAMIR-Reservoir (average KGE (Q0.5) of 0.79). However, SAMIR-Reservoir is the most accurate model for providing rough drainage estimates using the default input parameters provided in the literature.

Vulnerable narcissism is related to fear of being laughed at and to joy of laughing at others

Abstract: Vulnerable narcissism is associated to the fear of criticism and rejection; however, to date no investigation assessed its relations to the dispositions towards ridicule and laughter, which is scrutinized in the current paper. The dispositions towards ridicule and laughter could be conceptualized as three distinct types of humor personalities: gelotophobia (fear of being laughed at), gelotophilia (the joy of being laughed at), and katagelasticism (joy of laughing at others). We expected that according to the complex structure of vulnerable narcissism, it would be positively related to gelotophobia and katagelasticsism, reflecting neurotic withdrawal on the one hand, and antagonistic orientation towards people on the other. The results supported our hypotheses, providing further evidence to the complex structure of vulnerable narcissism.

Heritage Language Instruction to Young Immigrants: An In-depth Look at the Psycholinguistic Effects During the Simultaneous Acquisition of Two Second Languages

Abstract: Abstract Heritage Language Instruction (HLI) is a resource used in many immigration-receiving countries that allows students with an immigrant background to continue to be in contact with their Heritage Language (HL). However, many of the psycholinguistic effects of this instruction are still unknown. This study aims to provide an in-depth view of the effects of HLI on the development of the HL and the languages of the host country. For this purpose, the sample consisted of 108 students (20 HL learners, 88 controls) of Romanian origin who had emigrated to Catalonia. Their language skills in the phonetic, orthographic, morphosyntactic, lexical, and semantic domains were analysed using linear regression statistics and covariance analysis. The results showed that HLI exerted a mitigating effect on HL attrition, as well as a significant improvement of the linguistic competencies in the autochthonous languages. These results indicate that HLI is an effective tool in the psycholinguistic development of immigrant students, capable of facilitating their academic and social performance.

Spatio-temporal variation of surface soil hydraulic properties under different tillage and maize-based crop sequences in a Mediterranean area

Abstract: In arid and semi-arid regions, high intensity rainfall and/or irrigation water drop leads to development of surface crust, and it has the potential to alter surface soil hydraulic properties while also accelerating runoff and erosion. However, the temporal variation of soil hydraulic properties under irrigated conditions due to surface crust under different soil management practices has rarely been studied. On a long-term tillage field experiment (26 years), in Agramunt, NE Spain, a study was carried out using Beerkan infiltration tests in conjunction with the inverse optimization algorithms of&#160; the BEST method (Beerkan Estimation of Soil Transfer parameters) to investigate the effects of surface crusting on the spatio-temporal variation of saturated soil hydraulic conductivity (Ks, mm s-1), sorptivity (S, mm s-0.5), mean pore size (r, mm) and number of hydraulically active pores per unit area (N, m-2). Three tillage systems (intensive tillage, IT, reduced tillage, RT; and no-tillage, NT), two crop sequences (short fallow-maize, FM; and legume-maize, LM) and two positions (within the row of crops, W-row, and between the rows of crops, B-row) were assessed to evaluate the crusting effect on the above-mentioned soil hydro-physical properties. In response to autumn tillage, IT increased Ks and S due to higher r and N, but both declined after 60 days. RT, on the other hand, exhibited resilient to crust formation and despite having a lower N value, maintained comparable Ks and S values. After the spring tillage, its effect was immediately lost because of high-frequency water application, and both IT and RT developed crusted layers, resulting in decreased Ks, S and N. Long-term NT was resilient to form crust and an increasing trend of Ks and S was observed over time, except for the last sampling. Spatial variation (i.e., B-row vs. W-row) of Ks and S was found because of crusting, and independently of crop sequence, non-crusted soils (W-row) had consistently higher Ks (0.021 vs. 0.009 mm s-1)and S (0.65 vs. 0.38 mm s-0.5) than crusted soils (B-row) due to their lower bulk density and N. According to the findings of this study, conservation agriculture practices such as RT and NT improve the stability of surface soil structure and steadily reduce the risk of crust development. Further, surface cover by crops may help to prevent crust formation within the row of crops, improving soil hydraulic conductivity. This enhanced water flow path must not be neglected when measuring infiltration.

An e-Coin Based Construction for Unlinkable Priced Oblivious Transfer

Abstract: Abstract A ‘1-out-of-n’ oblivious transfer (OT) protocol involves two participants: a sender, who provides a set of items as input, and a receiver. The protocol guarantees that the receiver gets exactly one of the items of the input set, while the sender is unable to determine which. Priced OT (POT) protocols further allow each item of the input set to be assigned a price in such a way that, after a proper execution of the protocol, the receiver gets the requested item if and only if the corresponding sum of money has been paid. In this paper, we present a construction which takes a ‘1-out-of-n’ OT protocol and transform it into a POT one. Moreover, the resulting system is unlinkable in the sense that the sender is unable to determine whether two executions of the protocol were run by the same receiver or not. When compared to existing unlinkable POT protocols, our construction offers a lower conceptual complexity as it does not involve the use of zero-knowledge proofs.

Vulnerable Isolation and Enmity Concept: Disentangling the blue and dark face of vulnerable narcissism

Abstract: A theoretical model of the vulnerable half of the Narcissism Spectrum Model (NSM) – the Vulnerable Isolation and Enmity Concept (VIEC) was presented in the paper. In five studies (total N = 2,383), we show the personality underpinnings of the VIEC in terms of normal and pathological personality and explored the social relations of liking others and being liked. Isolation explains the role of avoidance and social withdrawal, whereas Enmity explains the role of reactive antagonism in vulnerable narcissism. We suggest that vulnerable narcissism is related to internalizing and grandiose narcissism to externalizing pathology. Through the prism of the Circumplex of Personality Metatraits, we argue that the VIEC together with the narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry concept (NARC) covers the whole NSM.

Numerical investigation of an enhanced PTC absorber tube using cylindrical inserts.

Abstract: The main purpose of this study is to investigate numerically the thermal performance of a parabolic trough solar collector’s absorber tube that contains a novel kind of inserts with the objective to improve the heat transfer between the heat transfer fluid and the absorber tube. In the first part of this paper, the diameter and the length of the cylindrical inserts are investigated based on Finite Volume Method and Monte Carlo Ray Tracing method for Reynolds number ranges from 2 . 36 ∙ 10 4 to 7 . 09 ∙ 10 4 . In the second part, the eccentricity of the cylindrical inserts is investigated under the same operating conditions. The Therminol VP1 is the HTF that used in this investigation intermediate fluid. The numerical simulation indicates that the perturbators enhance the thermal behavior of receiver and reduces the absorber tube’s temperature difference.

Can Students Learn by Teaching Their Peers during Cooperative Learning?

Abstract: No one doubts that students can learn from others when they receive explanations and support from other students when they work cooperatively together during team work. However, can the student who offers this pedagogical help to their teammates learn by teaching? Or, on the contrary, is cooperative learning (CL) only beneficial—in terms of learning—for students who receive the help? This is a common barrier that CL faces. In this chapter, evidence of learning by teaching will be reviewed, organising studies into four stages: (1) Expecting to teach; (2) Presenting information; (3) Explaining the knowledge; and (4) Questioning the understanding. This organisation will help to build an explanatory framework of how students can learn by teaching their peers, and what limits or conditions teachers need to consider. Several pedagogical practices implement the principle of learning by teaching, and CL is one of them. We will focus on it, showing how the different components of learning by teaching underlie CL settings and how they can be promoted. In CL settings, students learn from each other, which means that they teach each other.

Holocene human-environmental interactions and seismic activity in a Late Bronze to Early Iron Age settlement center in the southeastern Caucasus

Abstract: Long-term human-environmental interactions in naturally fragile drylands are an actual topic of geomorphological and geoarchaeological research. Furthermore, many prehistoric societies in drylands were also affected by seismic activity. The semi-arid Shiraki Plain in the tectonically active southeastern Caucasus is currently covered by steppes and largely devoid of settlements. However, numerous Late Bronze to Early Iron Age city-type fortified settlements suggest early state formation between ca. 3.2 &#8211; 2.5 ka that abruptly ended after that time. A paleolake was suggested for the lowest plain, and nearby pollen records suggest forest clearcutting of the upper altitudes under a more humid climate during the Late Bronze/Early Iron Ages. Furthermore, also an impact of earthquakes on regional Early Iron Age settlements was suggested. However, regional paleoenvironmental changes and paleoseismicity were not systematically studied so far. We combined geomorphological, sedimentological, chronological, paleoecological and hydrological modelling data to reconstruct regional Holocene paleoenvironmental changes in the Shiraki Plain, and identify possible natural and anthropogenic causes as well as possible seismic events during the Late Bronze/Early Iron Ages. Our results show a balanced to negative Early to Mid-Holocene water balance probably caused by forested upper slopes. Hence, no lake but an incipient Chernozem developed in the lowest plain. Following, Late Bronze/Early Iron Age forest clear-cutting obviously caused lake formation and the deposition of lacustrine sediments derived from intensive soil erosion. Subsequently, regional aridification obviously caused slow lake desiccation. Remains of freshwater fishes indicate that the lake potentially offered valuable ecosystem services for regional prehistoric societies even during the desiccation period. Finally, colluvial coverage of the lake sediments during the last centuries could have been linked with hydrological extremes during the Little Ice Age. Our study demonstrates that the Holocene hydrological balance of the Shiraki Plain was and is situated near a major hydrological threshold, making the landscape very sensitive to also small-scale human or natural influences with serious consequences for local societies. Furthermore, seismites in the studied sediments do not indicate an influence of earthquakes on the main and late phases of Late Bronze/Early Iron Age settlement. Altogether, our study underlines the high value of multi-disciplinary approaches to investigate long-term human-environmental interactions and paleoseismicity in drylands on millennial to centennial time scales.

Multidisciplinary reconstruction of the May 1853 flood episode

Abstract: Climate variability conditioned by the effects of climate change justifies the study of historical periods in order to identify and characterise episodes of high severity and low frequency. The increase in the irregularity of the rainfall regime in some regions justifies the study of these events for a better assessment of their presence in the immediate future. In this regard, the study of extreme hydrometeorological episodes that happen in unusual seasons of the year for these extreme episodes is of particular interest.One of these unusual episodes was the torrential rainfall and floods of May 1853 in Catalonia (NE Iberian Peninsula). The whole month of May 1853 is a unique hydrometeorological anomaly, being the second most rainy month of May in the whole instrumental series of precipitation of the city of Barcelona (period 1786-2022).This work reconstructs this episode of heavy rainfall and floods using a multidisciplinary approach. Old instrumental meteorological data are used to obtain the daily pluviometric behaviour in Barcelona. Surface atmospheric pressure data from different points of Western Europe allow its synoptic description.Historical information allows the identification of the different river overflow points and the floods caused by this episode. These points are represented cartographically together with the documented impacts on infrastructures. For this episode, there are 38 cases with historical information on impacts caused by floods or overflows. These occurred in eight different river basins which are included in the hydrographic demarcations of the Ebro River and the Catalan Coastal Basins.&#160;In order to appreciate the magnitude of the event, a limnimark (or floodmark) located in Tres Ponts Canyon on the Segre River is used. This record enables us to assimilate the episode with the most severe episode measured on the Segre River, one of the main tributaries of the Ebro River, in November 1982, with 1900 m3/s. This confirms the magnitude of the event of 1853, which is one of the most severe episodes of the lower Ebro basin for the last 500 years.&#160;

Morphology, distribution and origin of soil biogenic carbonates “queras” presents in Loess-palaeosols of Ebro Valley

Abstract: Several types of secondary carbonate accumulations have been reported, but some of them are not completely well defined in the field due to unclear nomenclature. This is the case of the &#8220;queras&#8221;, reported in several Loess-palaeosol sequences of the Ebro Valley, which have often been described as pseudomycelia. Micromorphologically, they are complex pedofeatures (including calcified root cells, infillings and hypocoatings of carbonates and a decarbonated zone), resulting from calcification/decalcification processess at a microscale. They are composed of a central channel (1-2 mm wide and 2-3 cm long) filled with biosparite crystals (Herrero et al., 1992). The study of these secondary carbonate bioaccumulations are important archives for climatic reconstructions in terrestrial environments and can be used for paleoenvironmental reconstructions. The aims of this research are the characterization (morphological, optical and isotopically) of the biocalcifications present in Loess-palaeosols sequences, OSL-dated, to determine the main factors that originate them and their possible use as a palaeoenvironmental proxy. We collected soil samples from seven profile of Loess-palaeosols where the presence of these biocalcifications was recorded. We isolated and manually cleaned complete fragments of queras to describe them and to determine their isotopic composition. For that purpose, we used the queras fraction (sieved fraction of bulk soil between 100-250 &#181;m) removing the residues of micrite with a buffer solution and manually separating the quera fragments with the help of a stereoscope. Thin sections were made to analyse the micromorphology in a petrographic microscope and cathodoluminescence techniques to determine the origin of the calcite. The micromorphology of these biocalcifications is similar in most cases: they present the same number of rows around the central channel (4 to 5), and a decarbonated hypocoating around it, supporting the hypothesis that their origin is derived from the calcification of cells of the root tips as a strategy to acidify the soil surrounding to absorb nutrients. Under cathodoluminescence biosparite has a different behaviour than non-biological calcite crystals. The age of the queras was similar in most horizons and their formation is independent of the age of the loess deposit. The isotopic composition of &#948;13C correspond mainly to CAM plants and the temperatures of precipitation calculated correspond to a Mediterranean template climate (Cerling and Quade, 1993), implying that the biocalcifications developed in warm environments. Finally, we hope to gain some more certainty of their origin and formation processes from the ongoing analyses of DNA sequencing and pollen recording.

Systematizing Dark Personality Traits within Broader Models of Personality

Abstract: Previous research has attempted to derive arguments for the categorization of traits as ‘dark’ without theoretical justification or rationalizations. We begin with a description of current conceptualizations of the darkness of traits followed by a new perspective on the catalogue of dark personality traits and the theoretical boundaries of different shades of darkness within the broader personality structure. Finally, we address the redundancy problem observed within the field on dark personality traits. Our analyses is offered as a guide to future research toward a more parsimonious and useful set of criteria (a “compass” of sorts) for inclusion within the “dark” cluster.

Educational Interventions for Newly Diagnosed Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Abstract: The latest consensus standards for patients with inflammatory bowel disease published by the European Crohn's and Colitis Organisation conclude that optimizing quality of care in inflammatory bowel disease involves information and education after diagnosis. A scoping review was performed to identify educational interventions in newly diagnosed inflammatory bowel disease patients. A systematic literature search was conducted using five databases and gray literature. Inclusion criteria were studies with at least one group of patients whom were less than 2 years from their initial inflammatory bowel disease diagnosis. The review process initially identified 447 articles, resulting in four relevant studies: three randomized controlled trials and one pre-/post-test. Only one study exclusively included newly diagnosed inflammatory bowel disease patients. All studies included a multidisciplinary assessment and three were based on a group intervention, but none of them was described in enough detail to be replicated. The content was the same for all patients regardless of the time elapsed since diagnosis. Education of newly diagnosed patients does not seem to be a priority given the lack of publications meeting our criteria despite the evidence of their need. Interventions and outcomes are heterogeneous. Interventions did not consider patient needs and suggest that they centered more on the professional than on the patient. More evidence is clearly needed about this topic.

An Experimental Study on the Thermo-mechanical Properties of Cement Mortar with Textile Fibers for Building Applications

Abstract: Developing materials with enhanced thermal properties is fundamental to reduce the energy demand in buildings and consequently energy consumption. In this study, an experimental assessment of the use of textile fiber waste in cement-based composites for building applications was addressed. In particular, both mechanical and thermal characterizations were performed to evaluate the behavior of cement mortars incorporating two types of textile fibers in different percentages after 7 and 28 days of water curing, respectively. Results show that the addition of fibers has great potential to improve the thermal insulation capacity of buildings by reducing the thermal conductivity of cement mortar by up to 52%. Moreover, the textile fibers improved the mechanical strength of the cementitious mortar, especially with a high percentage of textile and a prolonged period of curing.

La violencia contra las mujeres por honor y su tratamiento jurídico en españa

Abstract: La violencia de honor constituye una de las manifestaciones de la violencia contra las mujeres que, de acuerdo con el Convenio de Estambul del Consejo de Europa, los Estados parte deben afrontar holísticamente. Tal aproximación comporta no solo la persecución penal de estas conductas, sino también su prevención y, sobre todo, la protección de sus víctimas. En este trabajo se analiza conceptual, fenomenológica y jurídicamente esta manifestación de la violencia en un contexto internacional y comparado, descendiendo después a la realidad en España. Se confirma, tras efectuar la correspondiente descripción de la situación, que la aproximación a la violencia de honor en este país es incompleta en los planos jurídico, institucional y académico. Se concluye afirmando la conveniencia de su análisis fenomenológico junto a un estudio sistemático de las respuestas jurídicas e institucionales más adecuadas para abordarla en España.