Financial resilience of agricultural and food production companies in Spain: A compositional cluster analysis of the impact of the Ukraine-Russia war (2021-2023)
Mike Hernandez-Romero, Germà Coenders
This study analyzes the financial resilience of agricultural and food production companies in Spain amid the Ukraine-Russia war using cluster analysis based on financial ratios. This research utilizes centered log-ratios to transform financial ratios for compositional data analysis. The dataset comprises financial information from 1197 firms in Spain's agricultural and food sectors over the period 2021-2023. The analysis reveals distinct clusters of firms with varying financial performance, characterized by metrics of solvency and profitability. The results highlight an increase in resilient firms by 2023, underscoring sectoral adaptation to the conflict's economic challenges. These findings together provide insights for stakeholders and policymakers to improve sectorial stability and strategic planning.
Theoretical Discovery, Experiment, and Controversy in the Aharonov-Bohm Effect: An Oral History Interview
Yakir Aharonov, Guy Hetzroni
This oral history interview provides Yakir Aharonov's perspective on the theoretical discovery of the Aharonov-Bohm effect in 1959, during his PhD studies in Bristol with David Bohm, the reception of the effect, the efforts to test it empirically (up to Tonomura's experiment), and some of the debates regarding the existence of the effect and its interpretation. The interview also discusses related later developments until the 1980s, including modular momentum and Berry's phase. It includes recollections from meetings with Werner Heisenberg, Richard Feynman, and Chen-Ning Yang, also mentioning John Bell, Robert Chambers, Werner Ehrenberg, Sir Charles Frank, Wendell Furry, Gunnar Källén, Maurice Pryce, Nathan Rosen, John Wheeler, and Eugene Wigner.
Value of History in Social Learning: Applications to Markets for History
Hiroto Sato, Konan Shimizu
In social learning environments, agents acquire information from both private signals and the observed actions of predecessors, referred to as history. We define the value of history as the gain in expected payoff from accessing both the private signal and history, compared to relying on the signal alone. We first characterize the information structures that maximize this value, showing that it is highest under a mixture of full information and no information. We then apply these insights to a model of markets for history, where a monopolistic data seller collects and sells access to history. In equilibrium, the seller's dynamic pricing becomes the value of history for each agent. This gives the seller incentives to increase the value of history by designing the information structure. The seller optimal information discloses less information than the socially optimal level.
From terrestrial weather to space weather through the history of scintillation
Emily F. Kerrison, Ron D. Ekers, John Morgan
et al.
Recent observations of interplanetary scintillation (IPS) at radio frequencies have proved to be a powerful tool for probing the solar environment from the ground. But how far back does this tradition really extend? Our survey of the literature to date has revealed a long history of scintillating observations, beginning with the oral traditions of Indigenous peoples from around the globe, encompassing the works of the Ancient Greeks and Renaissance scholars, and continuing right through into modern optics, astronomy and space science. We outline here the major steps that humanity has taken along this journey, using scintillation as a tool for predicting first terrestrial, and then space weather without ever having to leave the ground.
en
physics.space-ph, astro-ph.IM
The #Somos600M Project: Generating NLP resources that represent the diversity of the languages from LATAM, the Caribbean, and Spain
María Grandury
We are 600 million Spanish speakers. We launched the #Somos600M Project because the diversity of the languages from LATAM, the Caribbean and Spain needs to be represented in Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems. Despite being the 7.5% of the world population, there is no open dataset to instruction-tune large language models (LLMs), nor a leaderboard to evaluate and compare them. In this paper, we present how we have created as an international open-source community the first versions of the instruction and evaluation datasets, indispensable resources for the advancement of Natural Language Processing (NLP) in our languages.
Spain on Fire: A novel wildfire risk assessment model based on image satellite processing and atmospheric information
Helena Liz-López, Javier Huertas-Tato, Jorge Pérez-Aracil
et al.
Each year, wildfires destroy larger areas of Spain, threatening numerous ecosystems. Humans cause 90% of them (negligence or provoked) and the behaviour of individuals is unpredictable. However, atmospheric and environmental variables affect the spread of wildfires, and they can be analysed by using deep learning. In order to mitigate the damage of these events we proposed the novel Wildfire Assessment Model (WAM). Our aim is to anticipate the economic and ecological impact of a wildfire, assisting managers resource allocation and decision making for dangerous regions in Spain, Castilla y León and Andalucía. The WAM uses a residual-style convolutional network architecture to perform regression over atmospheric variables and the greenness index, computing necessary resources, the control and extinction time, and the expected burnt surface area. It is first pre-trained with self-supervision over 100,000 examples of unlabelled data with a masked patch prediction objective and fine-tuned using 311 samples of wildfires. The pretraining allows the model to understand situations, outclassing baselines with a 1,4%, 3,7% and 9% improvement estimating human, heavy and aerial resources; 21% and 10,2% in expected extinction and control time; and 18,8% in expected burnt area. Using the WAM we provide an example assessment map of Castilla y León, visualizing the expected resources over an entire region.
Complexity Heliophysics: A lived and living history of systems and complexity science in Heliophysics
Ryan M. McGranaghan
This review examines complexity science in Heliophysics, describing it not as a discipline, but as a paradigm. In the context of Heliophysics, complexity science is the study of a star, interplanetary environment, magnetosphere, upper and terrestrial atmospheres, and planetary surface as interacting subsystems. Complexity science studies entities in a system (e.g., electrons in an atom, planets in a solar system, individuals in a society) and their interactions, and is the nature of what emerges from these interactions. It is a paradigm that employs systems approaches and is inherently multi- and cross-scale. Heliophysics processes span at least 15 orders of magnitude in space and another 15 in time, and its reaches go well beyond our own solar system and Earth's space environment to touch planetary, exoplanetary, and astrophysical domains. It is an uncommon domain within which to explore complexity science. This review article excavates the lived and living history of complexity science in Heliophysics. It identifies five dimensions of complexity science. It then proceeds in three epochal parts: 1) A pivotal year in the Complexity Heliophysics paradigm: 1996; 2) The transitional years that established foundations of the paradigm (1996-2010); and 3) The emergent literature largely beyond 2010. The history reveals a grand challenge that confronts most physical sciences to understand the research intersection between fundamental science (e.g., complexity science) and applied science (e.g., artificial intelligence and machine learning). A risk science framework is suggested as a way of formulating the challenges in a way that the two converge. The intention is to provide inspiration and guide future research. It will be instructive to Heliophysics researchers, but also to any reader interested in or hoping to advance the frontier of systems and complexity science.
en
physics.space-ph, nlin.AO
The Field Q and the Equality 0.999 . . . = 1 from Combinatorics of Circular Words and History of Practical Arithmetics
Benoît Rittaud, Laurent Vivier
We reconsider the classical equality 0.999. .. = 1 with the tool of circular words, that is: finite words whose last letter is assumed to be followed by the first one. Such circular words are naturally embedded with algebraic structures that enlight this problematic equality, allowing it to be considered in Q rather than in R. We comment early history of such structures, that involves English teachers and accountants of the first part of the xviii th century, who appear to be the firsts to assert the equality 0.999. .. = 1. Their level of understanding show links with Dubinsky et al.'s apos theory in mathematics education. Eventually, we rebuilt the field Q from circular words, and provide an original proof of the fact that an algebraic integer is either an integer or an irrational number.
Gaston Gilabert, El encanto de los dioses: Mito, poesía y música en el teatro de Lope de Vega
Fernando J. Pancorbo
History of Spain, Latin America. Spanish America
Acquired Haemophilia A: A Review of What We Know
Mingot-Castellano ME, Rodríguez-Martorell FJ, Nuñez-Vázquez RJ
et al.
María Eva Mingot-Castellano,1 Francisco Javier Rodríguez-Martorell,1 Ramiro José Nuñez-Vázquez,1 Pascual Marco2 1Hematology Department, Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío. Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla (IBIS), Sevilla, Spain; 2General Medicine Department, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de Alicante (ISABIAL), Alicante, SpainCorrespondence: María Eva Mingot-Castellano, Hematology Department, Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío, Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla (IBIS), Sevilla, Spain, Email mariae.mingot.sspa@juntadeandalucia.esAbstract: Autoantibodies against plasma coagulation factors could be developed by some individuals inducing severe and sometimes fatal bleedings. This clinical entity is called acquired haemophilia. It should be suspected in subjects with acute abnormal bleedings, without personal or familiar history of congenital bleeding disorders with an unexplained prolonged aPTT. It is rare disease, although its incidence may be underestimated due to the low knowledge about it by many specialists, the frequent use of anticoagulant or antiplatelet therapies in the affected population that can mask the diagnosis and, sometimes, a so withering effect that avoid its confirmation. Mortality ranges between 9% and 33% depending on the series in the first 2 months after diagnosis. This mortality is attributed in up to 40% of the cases to infections in the context of immunosuppressive treatments used to eliminate the inhibitor. Factor VIII levels below 1% and high inhibitor titers are conditions of worse response rates. Advanced age, patient’s ECOG, and underlying conditions are key prognostic factors for response to treatment and patient survival. To reduce morbidity and mortality in these patients, it is important to have clinical knowledge and access to guidelines to achieve an early diagnosis and to optimize the haemostatic and immunosuppressive treatment. This review aims to contribute to the dissemination of basic concepts on the epidemiology etiopathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment and management of these patients, as well as risk factors to get remission and the longest overall survival to allow individualized care. Especial awareness will be proposed in patients with some underlying conditions like cancer, autoimmune diseases, children, pregnancy or drugs.Keywords: acquired haemophilia, inhibitors, coagulopathy, autoimmune, bleeding
Diseases of the blood and blood-forming organs
Digital History and History Teaching in the Digital Age
Maria Papadopoulou, Zacharoula Smyrnaiou
Digital technologies, such as the Internet and Artificial Intelligence, are part of our daily lives, influencing broader aspects of our way of life, as well as the way we interact with the past. Having dramatically changed the ways in which knowledge is produced and consumed, the algorithmic age has also radically changed the relationship that the general public has with History. Fields of History such as Public and Oral History have particularly benefitted from the rise of digital culture. How does our digital culture affect the way we think, study, research and teach the past, as historical evidence spreads rapidly in the public sphere? How do digital technologies promote the study, writing and teaching of History? What should historians, students of history and pre-service history teachers be critically aware of, when swarmed with digitized or born-digital content, constantly growing on the Internet? And while these changes are now visible globally, how is the discipline of History situated within the digital transformation rapidly advancing in Greece? Finally, what are the consequences of these changes for History as a subject taught at Greek secondary schools? These are some of the issues raised in the text that follows, which is part of the course materials of the undergraduate course offered during winter semester 2020-2021 at the School University of Athens, School of Philosophy, Pedagogy, Psychology. Course Title: 'Pedagogics of History: Theory and Practice', Academic Institution: School of Philosophy-Pedagogy-Psychology, University of Athens.
Towards a Combined Use of Geophysics and Remote Sensing Techniques for the Characterization of a Singular Building: “El Torreón” (the Tower) at Ulaca <i>Oppidum</i> (Solosancho, Ávila, Spain)
Miguel Ángel Maté-González, Cristina Sáez Blázquez, Pedro Carrasco García
et al.
This research focuses on the study of the ruins of a large building known as “El Torreón” (the Tower), belonging to the Ulaca <i>oppidum</i> (Solosancho, Province of Ávila, Spain). Different remote sensing and geophysical approaches have been used to fulfil this objective, providing a better understanding of the building’s functionality in this town, which belongs to the Late Iron Age (ca. 300–50 BCE). In this sense, the outer limits of the ruins have been identified using photogrammetry and convergent drone flights. An additional drone flight was conducted in the surrounding area to find additional data that could be used for more global interpretations. Magnetometry was used to analyze the underground bedrock structure and ground penetrating radar (GPR) was employed to evaluate the internal layout of the ruins. The combination of these digital methodologies (surface and underground) has provided a new perspective for the improved interpretation of “El Torreón” and its characteristics. Research of this type presents additional guidelines for better understanding of the role of this structure with regards to other buildings in the Ulaca <i>oppidum</i>. The results of these studies will additionally allow archaeologists to better plan future interventions while presenting new data that can be used for the interpretation of this archaeological complex on a larger scale.
COVID-19 in Spain and India: Comparing Policy Implications by Analyzing Epidemiological and Social Media Data
Parth Asawa, Manas Gaur, Kaushik Roy
et al.
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced public health experts to develop contingent policies to stem the spread of infection, including measures such as partial/complete lockdowns. The effectiveness of these policies has varied with geography, population distribution, and effectiveness in implementation. Consequently, some nations (e.g., Taiwan, Haiti) have been more successful than others (e.g., United States) in curbing the outbreak. A data-driven investigation into effective public health policies of a country would allow public health experts in other nations to decide future courses of action to control the outbreaks of disease and epidemics. We chose Spain and India to present our analysis on regions that were similar in terms of certain factors: (1) population density, (2) unemployment rate, (3) tourism, and (4) quality of living. We posit that citizen ideology obtainable from twitter conversations can provide insights into conformity to policy and suitably reflect on future case predictions. A milestone when the curves show the number of new cases diverging from each other is used to define a time period to extract policy-related tweets while the concepts from a causality network of policy-dependent sub-events are used to generate concept clouds. The number of new cases is predicted using sentiment scores in a regression model. We see that the new case predictions reflects twitter sentiment, meaningfully tied to a trigger sub-event that enables policy-related findings for Spain and India to be effectively compared.
A Bayesian - Deep Learning model for estimating Covid-19 evolution in Spain
Stefano Cabras
This work proposes a semi-parametric approach to estimate Covid-19 (SARS-CoV-2) evolution in Spain. Considering the sequences of 14 days cumulative incidence of all Spanish regions, it combines modern Deep Learning (DL) techniques for analyzing sequences with the usual Bayesian Poisson-Gamma model for counts. DL model provides a suitable description of observed sequences but no reliable uncertainty quantification around it can be obtained. To overcome this we use the prediction from DL as an expert elicitation of the expected number of counts along with their uncertainty and thus obtaining the posterior predictive distribution of counts in an orthodox Bayesian analysis using the well known Poisson-Gamma model. The overall resulting model allows us to either predict the future evolution of the sequences on all regions, as well as, estimating the consequences of eventual scenarios.
A (not so) brief history of lunar distances: Lunar longitude determination at sea before the chronometer
Richard de Grijs
Longitude determination at sea gained increasing commercial importance in the late Middle Ages, spawned by a commensurate increase in long-distance merchant shipping activity. Prior to the successful development of an accurate marine timepiece in the late-eighteenth century, marine navigators relied predominantly on the Moon for their time and longitude determinations. Lunar eclipses had been used for relative position determinations since Antiquity, but their rare occurrences precludes their routine use as reliable way markers. Measuring lunar distances, using the projected positions on the sky of the Moon and bright reference objects--the Sun or one or more bright stars--became the method of choice. It gained in profile and importance through the British Board of Longitude's endorsement in 1765 of the establishment of a Nautical Almanac. Numerous 'projectors' jumped onto the bandwagon, leading to a proliferation of lunar ephemeris tables. Chronometers became both more affordable and more commonplace by the mid-nineteenth century, signaling the beginning of the end for the lunar distance method as a means to determine one's longitude at sea.
The comparison of trends in Spain and the Nederland: a Dynamical compartment model of the transmission of Coronavirus
Victoria Lopez, Milena Čukić
The recent spreading of coronavirus made many countries impose restrictions in order to control its dangerous effect on the citizens. We developed a theoretical dynamical model based on compartmental SIR system with additional adjustment taken from Flow network and Markov chain frameworks to illustrate developments and trends based on publicly available data. Based on this Model, code in R was written and fed by stamped publicly available data from authorized governmental websites in Spain and in the Nederlands, to compare trends. Our results show that the 'peak' of infection is already behind us in both countries, but also demonstrate that there is a danger of rebound of a spread. It is obvious that measures imposed are giving the results, but we should be precarious of near future practices and developments since the majority of population will still be without immunity.
en
physics.soc-ph, q-bio.NC
Le mariage au service de deux rois législateurs : les Siete Partidas (1265) d’Alphonse X et Le Livre au Roi (1200) d’Aimery de Lusignan
Myriam Greilsammer
C’est la forte affinité du rôle attribué au mariage dans le Livre au Roi d’Aimery de Lusignan (vers 1200), traité de droit du Royaume Latin de Jérusalem, et dans les Siete Partidas qui fait l’objet de mon analyse. Malgré les différences à la fois chronologiques, géographiques et la forte disparité de ces deux textes législatifs en ce qui concerne leur caractère (l’un civil et général, l’autre féodal et beaucoup plus limité) et leur contenu textuel, leur envergure et influence respective, je me propose de faire le parallèle entre eux, quant à la centralité du mariage et son instrumentalisation par les rois qui en ont été les initiateurs. On doit attribuer la centralité du sujet du mariage dans les Partidas, et son importance fondamentale dans le Livre au Roi, au fait que les deux monarques qui ont pris l’initiative de la rédaction de ces traités de droit ont compris à quel point le mariage est un instrument capital à leur disposition afin de miner la prééminence des familles et de consolider leur puissance féodale et leur pouvoir monarchique. Aimery de Lusignan et Alphonse X ont chacun à leur tour, et de manière différente, décidé d’instrumentaliser ce pilier de la vie sociale et de s’en servir dans leurs stratégies de limitation des contre-pouvoirs de leurs royaumes. Il s’agit principalement dans le cas du roi du Royaume Latin des grands feudataires, et dans le cas du roi de Castille et de Léon, des familles patriciennes et nobles du royaume. Ils ont ainsi utilisé ce rite de passage capital pour les familles et la société toute entière, comme « cheval de Troie », afin d’affirmer et d’affermir leur prééminence dans leurs royaumes respectifs.
History (General) and history of Europe, History of Spain
Developing social and civic competence in secondary education through the implementation and evaluation of teaching units and educational environments
Concepcion Fuentes-Moreno, Marta Sabariego-Puig, Alba Ambros-Pallarés
Abstract Recent international research in social science teaching highlights difficulties adolescents face when constructing social and citizenship awareness, and their own identity. To shed more light on this process, the present study is framed in the context of social science classrooms, and more specifically around how social and civic competence is developed via particular teaching methodologies and specific learning environments in Spain. The focus is on the analysis of democratic citizenship, as it is commonly accepted in the theoretical and epistemological bases of social sciences that citizenship education is one of the aims of the educational system. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of implementing two teaching units on the development of social and civic competence among 110 students in five secondary and high schools in Catalonia. A qualitative observational method is used to identify, describe and analyze the implementation and effects of both teaching units on a hermeneutic-interpretative basis. An ethnographic perspective is used to obtain accounts of education professionals and students. In addition, 19 field notes are analyzed using QSRNVIVO 12 software on two dimensions: citizenship and classroom climate. There are two main findings: first, regarding the formative value of both sequences regarding democratic, active and critical citizenship; the second, regarding the importance of the classroom environment created for this purpose by designing ad hoc learning spaces using active methodologies to contribute to the development of active and responsible citizenship. The conclusions highlight two important issues. The subject of History in secondary education should be vindicated as a key instrument to build democratic awareness, based on the skills of active and critical citizenship. Furthermore, there is a relationship between the development of critical and active citizenship and the creation of learning environments that foster reflection, analysis, interpretation and dialog. The implications of this study pose an important challenge for the study of social sciences. Initial teacher training methodology and syllabi should be reviewed, the importance of the Humanities in our society should be defended, and classrooms and schools should be democratized to promote active participation in citizenship education.
History of scholarship and learning. The humanities, Social Sciences
Przekład ustny w Państwowym Muzeum Auschwitz -Birkenau (PMAB): warunki pracy, problemy i profil tłumacza
Marta Paleczna
Interpretation at The Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum (ABMM): Working Conditions, Problems and Interpreter’s Profile
In 2016 The Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum was visited by over 2 million people, of whom over 400 thousand were Polish speakers. The others, over 1.5 million people, heard about the history of the camp from guides speaking their native languages. The largest group consisted of tourists from Great Britain, the United States, Italy, Spain, Israel and Germany. Due to the constantly increasing number of foreign tourists, the ABMM had to face the problem of shortage of guides speaking particular languages. Thus, a more and more popular solution is hiring interpreters who, along with Polish-speaking guides, provide the history of the camp to foreign language tourists. The time of sightseeing the ABMM with a guide is limited, therefore quick decision making regarding the interpretation is of the crucial importance. Basing on surveys carried out among interpreters I would like to present the interpretation at the Auschwitz Museum as an example of intercultural dialogue. Problems which interpreters are faced with and the way these problems are approached have a tremendous impact on the reception of the heard history.
Pro defensione veritatis: Antonio de Herrera, Cronista Mayor de Indias
María del Carmen Martínez Martínez
L’analyse de l’œuvre d’Antonio de Herrera place le lecteur face à un exercice de communication politique. Au moyen de l’écriture, le cronista mayor (grand chroniqueur) a défendu les politiques de Philippe II en Europe et au Nouveau Monde. Le projet de l’Histoire Générale concernant les actions des Castillans au Nouveau Monde a immédiatement fait l’objet d’une polémique. Les critiques du comte de Puñonrostro contraignirent Herrera à se défendre et, au fil de ses différends avec le petit-fils de Pedrarias Dávila, dans ses réponses et allégations, il découvrit sa méthode de travail, la considération qu’il avait pour le métier de chroniqueur et pour son œuvre, aspects qu’il a également traduits dans les dédicaces de ses écrits.
History (General) and history of Europe, History of Spain