Suchergebnisse

[EN] Facing global climate change challenges entails a sustainable development of transportation. Governments and automobile manufacturers are highly aware of how a large-scale deployment of Electric Vehicles (EVs) can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and mitigate global warming. This study aids the design of the adaptation strategies of the automotive industry to meet global goals on climate change by means of a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), which makes it possible to measure the level of actors¿ satisfaction. This allows identification of a combination of factors leading to the outcome while dealing with uncertain environments due to the heterogeneous nature of actors with conflicting of interests. The methodology has been successfully applied to a case study, thus providing greater transparency, fairness, social equity, and consensus among actors ; Llopis-Albert, C.; Palacios Marqués, D.; Simón-Moya, V. (2021). Fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) applied to the adaptation of the automobile industry to meet the emission standards of climate change policies via the deployment of electric vehicles (EVs). Technological Forecasting and Social Change. 169:1-7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2021.120843 ; S ; 1 ; 7 ; 169

Facing global climate change challenges entails a sustainable development of transportation. Governments and automobile manufacturers are highly aware of how a large-scale deployment of Electric Vehicles (EVs) can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and mitigate global warming. This study aids the design of the adaptation strategies of the automotive industry to meet global goals on climate change by means of a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), which makes it possible to measure the level of actors' satisfaction. This allows identification of a combination of factors leading to the outcome while dealing with uncertain environments due to the heterogeneous nature of actors with conflicting of interests. The methodology has been successfully applied to a case study, thus providing greater transparency, fairness, social equity, and consensus among actors.

In this paper a methodology for the stochastic management of groundwater quality problems is presented, which can be used to provide agricultural advisory services. A stochastic algorithm to solve the coupled flow and mass transport inverse problem is combined with a stochastic management approach to develop methods for integrating uncertainty; thus obtaining more reliable policies on groundwater nitrate pollution control from agriculture. The stochastic inverse model allows identifying non-Gaussian parameters and reducing uncertainty in heterogeneous aquifers by constraining stochastic simulations to data. The management model determines the spatial and temporal distribution of fertilizer application rates that maximizes net benefits in agriculture constrained by quality requirements in groundwater at various control sites. The quality constraints can be taken, for instance, by those given by water laws such as the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD). Furthermore, the methodology allows providing the trade-off between higher economic returns and reliability in meeting the environmental standards. Therefore, this new technology can help stakeholders in the decision-making process under an uncertainty environment. The methodology has been successfully applied to a 2D synthetic aquifer, where an uncertainty assessment has been carried out by means of Monte Carlo simulation techniques. (c) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. ; Llopis Albert, C.; Palacios Marqués, D.; Merigó, JM. (2014). A coupled stochastic inverse-management framework for dealing with nonpoint agriculture pollution under groundwater parameter uncertainty. Journal of Hydrology. 511:10-16. doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2014.01.021 ; S ; 10 ; 16 ; 511

This study analyzes the level of satisfaction of stakeholders in the public participation process (PPP) of water resources management, which is mandatory according to the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD). The methodology uses a fuzzy set/qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), which allows the identification of a combination of factors that lead to the outcome that is stakeholders' satisfaction. It allows dealing with uncertain environments due to the heterogeneous nature of stakeholders and factors. The considered causes range from environmental objectives pursued, actual capacity of efficiently carrying out those objectives, socioeconomic development of the region, level of involvement and means of participation of the stakeholders engaged in the PPP, and alternative policies and measures that should be performed. Results support the argument that different causal paths explain the stakeholders' satisfaction. The methodology may help in the implementation of the WFD and conflict resolution since it leads to greater fairness, social equity, and consensus among stakeholders.

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12665-016-6135-y ; In decision-making processes, reliability and risk aversion play a decisive role. The aim of this study is to perform an uncertainty assessment of the effects of future scenarios of sustainable groundwater pumping strategies on the quantitative and chemical status of an aquifer. The good status of the aquifer is defined according to the terms established by the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD). A decision support systems (DSS) is presented, which makes use of a stochastic inverse model (GC method) and geostatistical approaches to calibrate equally likely realizations of hydraulic conductivity (K) fields for a particular case study. These K fields are conditional to available field data, including hard and soft information. Then, different future scenarios of groundwater pumping strategies are generated, based on historical information and WFD standards, and simulated for each one of the equally likely K fields. The future scenarios lead to different environmental impacts and levels of socioeconomic development of the region and, hence, to a different degree of acceptance among stakeholders. We have identified the different stakeholders implied in the decision-making process, the objectives pursued and the alternative actions that should be considered by stakeholders in a public participation project (PPP). The MonteCarlo simulation provides a highly effective way for uncertainty assessment and allows presenting the results in a simple and understandable way even for non-experts stakeholders. The methodology has been successfully applied to a real case study and lays the foundations to performa PPP and stakeholders' involvement in a decisionmaking process as required by the WFD. The results of the methodology can help the decision-making process to come up with the best policies and regulations for a groundwater system under uncertainty in groundwater parameters and management strategies and involving stakeholders ...

[EN] Digital technologies are transforming the industrial landscape and disrupting traditional business models. New business opportunities related to Industry 4.0 are emerging, so companies must adapt to the new environment. This work puts forward a multi-objective optimization algorithm to improve productivity and reduce the costs and energy consumption of autonomous industrial processes with the aim of achieving sustainable growth. The processes analyzed encompass an assembly line production with robotic cells and the subsequent material handling systems (MHS) using autonomous guided vehicles (AGVs) for indoor transport. An efficient algorithm has been implemented to integrate and minimize industrial robot arm working times, AGVs travel times and their trajectory, and the energy consumed in industrial processes while maximizing global business profits when manufacturing different products in an indoor industrial environment. Furthermore, this is carried out by considering the kinematics and dynamics of autonomous industrial processes and sustainable strategies to ensure compliance with government policies on environmental issues. These objectives are in line with the European Union (EU) guidelines on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, renewable energy share, and improvements in energy efficiency for climate change mitigation and adaptation policies. Based on the difference in energy consumption between optimized and unoptimized industrial processes, the economic benefits can be quantified in terms of GHG emission quotas, volume of fuel consumed, and the indirect benefits with respect to improving corporate brand image. The methodology presented here has been successfully applied to several real case studies covering different manufacturing processes, robotic operations, and products. The results show that higher profits and sustainable growth are achieved when this methodology is used. It helps design Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMS) and leads to shorter working times and higher energy efficiency and ...

[EN] This study analyzes the level of satisfaction of stakeholders in the public participation process (PPP) of water resources management, which is mandatory according to the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD). The methodology uses a fuzzy set/qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), which allows the identification of a combination of factors that lead to the outcome that is stakeholders' satisfaction. It allows dealing with uncertain environments due to the heterogeneous nature of stakeholders and factors. The considered causes range from environmental objectives pursued, actual capacity of efficiently carrying out those objectives, socioeconomic development of the region, level of involvement and means of participation of the stakeholders engaged in the PPP, and alternative policies and measures that should be performed. Results support the argument that different causal paths explain the stakeholders' satisfaction. The methodology may help in the implementation of the WFD and conflict resolution since it leads to greater fairness, social equity, and consensus among stakeholders. ; Llopis Albert, C.; Merigó -Lindahl, JM.; Xu, Y.; Liao, H. (2018). Application of Fuzzy Set/Qualitative Comparative Analysis to Public Participation Projects in Support of the EU Water Framework Directive. Water Environment Research. 90(1):74-83. https://doi.org/10.2175/106143017X15054988926550 ; S ; 74 ; 83 ; 90 ; 1

This study presents a methodology to tackle robot tasks in a cost-efficientway. It poses amulti-objective optimization problemfor trajectory planning of robotic arms that an efficient algorithmwill solve. Themethod finds the minimum time to perform robot tasks while considering the physical constraints of the real working problem and the economic issues participating in the process. This process also considers robotic system dynamics and the presence of obstacles to avoid collisions. It generates an entire set of equally optimal solutions for each process, the Pareto-optimal frontiers. They provide information about the trade-offs between the different decision variables of the multi-objective optimization problem. This procedure can help managers in decision-making processes regarding performing tasks, items to be manufactured or robotic services performed to meet with the current demand, and also, to define an efficient scheduling. It improves productivity and allows firms to stay competitive in rapid changing markets. ; The authors thank the funding of Science and Innovation Ministry of the Spain Government by means of the Researching and Technologic Development Project DPI2010-20814-C02-01 (IDEMOV). ; Llopis Albert, C.; Rubio Montoya, FJ.; Valero Chuliá, FJ. (2015). Improving productivity using a multi-objective optimization of robotic trajectory planning. Journal of Business Research. 68(7):1429-1431. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2015.01.027 ; S ; 1429 ; 1431 ; 68 ; 7

A strong normative development in Europe, including the Nitrate Directive (1991) and the Water Framework Directive (WFD) (2000), has been promulgated. The WFD states that all water bodies have to reach a good quantitative and chemical status by 2015. It is necessary to consider different objectives, often in conflict, for tackling a suitable assessment of the impacts generated by water policies aimed to reduce nitrate pollution in groundwater. For that, an annual lumped probabilistic model based on Bayesian networks (BNs) has been designed for hydro-economic modelling of groundwater quality control under uncertain conditions. The information introduced in the BN model comes from different sources such as previous groundwater flow and mass transport simulations, hydro-economic models, stakeholders and expert opinion, etc. The methodology was applied to the El Salobral-Los Llanos aquifer unit within the 'Easter Mancha' groundwater body, which is one of the largest aquifers in Spain (7,400 km(2)), included in the Júcar River Basin. Over the past 30 years, socioeconomic development within the region has been mainly depending on intensive use of groundwater resources for irrigating crops. This has provoked a continuous groundwater level fall in the last two decades and significant streamflow depletion in the connected Júcar River. This BN model has proved to be a robust Decision Support System for helping water managers in the decision making process. ; The authors gratefully acknowledge the contributions of the following people and organizations. The study has been partially supported by the European Community 7th Framework Project GENESIS (226536) on groundwater systems and from the subprogram Juan de la Cierva (2010, 2011) of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation as well as from the Plan Nacional I + D + i 2008-2011 of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (subprojects CGL2009-13238-C02-01 and CGL2009-13238-C02-02). Finally, thanks to the Jucar River Basin Authority (CHJ), IDR of Univ. of ...

[EN] Although the legislation on groundwater quality targets pollutant concentration, the effects of measures on non-point source pollution control are often evaluated in terms of their emission reduction potential at the source, not on their capacity of reducing the pollutant concentration in groundwater. This paper applies a hydro-economic modelling framework to an aquifer, El Salobral-Los Llanos aquifer (Mancha Oriental, Spain), where nitrate concentrations higher than those allowed by the EU Water Framework Directive and Groundwater Directive are locally found due to the intense fertilizer use in irrigated crops. The approach allows defining the economically optimal allocation of spatially variable fertilizer standards in agricultural basins using a hydro-economic model that links the fertilizer application with groundwater nitrate concentration at different control sites while maximizing net economic benefits. The methodology incorporates results from agronomic simulations, groundwater flow and transport into a management framework that yields the fertilizer allocation that maximizes benefits in agriculture while meeting the environmental standards. The cost of applying fertilizer standards was estimated as the difference between the private net revenues from actual application and the scenarios generated considering the application of the standards. Furthermore, the cost of applying fertilizer standards was compared with the cost of taxing nitrogen fertilizers in order to reduce the fertilizer use to a level that the nitrate concentration in groundwater was below the limit. The results show the required reduction of fertilizer application in the different crop areas depending on its location with regards to the control sites, crop types and soil-plant conditions, groundwater flow and transport processes, time horizon for meeting the standards, and the cost of implementing such a policy (as forgone benefits). According to the results, a high fertilizer price would be required to reduce nitrate ...

[EN] In 2015, the United Nations approved the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development, an opportunity for countries and their societies to face the challenge of successfully addressing the transition to a more sustainable future for people and the planet, leaving no one behind. The agenda defines a total of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of universal application to promote economic growth, a commitment to social needs and the protection of the environment. For the successful achievement the ambitious and demanding SDGs, individuals, businesses, governments, and higher education institutions should work collaboratively. This paper aims to contribute to the implementation of the SDGs in the mechanical engineering subjects, and to define appropriate indicators and validation processes to assess their level of fulfillment as established in the 2030 Agenda. As a result, better decisions can be made regarding the efforts that universities - including students, academics and researchers and professional services staff - must invest to incorporate the SDGs into their initiatives, structures, and policies. ; Llopis-Albert, C.; Rubio, F.; Zeng, S.; Grima-Olmedo, J.; Grima-Olmedo, C. (2022). Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) applied to Mechanical Engineering. Multidisciplinary Journal for Education, Social and Technological Sciences. 9(1):59-70. https://doi.org/10.4995/muse.2022.17269 ; OJS ; 59 ; 70 ; 9 ; 1

In 2015, the United Nations approved the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development, an opportunity for countries and their societies to face the challenge of successfully addressing the transition to a more sustainable future for people and the planet, leaving no one behind. The agenda defines a total of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of universal application to promote economic growth, a commitment to social needs and the protection of the environment. For the successful achievement the ambitious and demanding SDGs, individuals, businesses, governments, and higher education institutions should work collaboratively. This paper aims to contribute to the implementation of the SDGs in the mechanical engineering subjects, and to define appropriate indicators and validation processes to assess their level of fulfillment as established in the 2030 Agenda. As a result, better decisions can be made regarding the efforts that universities - including students, academics and researchers and professional services staff - must invest to incorporate the SDGs into their initiatives, structures, and policies.

[EN] This article presents a new aggregation system applied to fuzzy decision making. The fuzzy generalized unified aggregation operator (FGUAO) is a system that integrates many operators by adding a new aggregation process that considers the relevance that each operator has in the analysis. It also deals with an uncertain environment where the information is studied with fuzzy numbers. A wide range of particular cases and properties are studied. This approach is further extended by using quasi-arithmetic means. The paper ends studying the applicability in decision making problems regarding the European Union decisions. For doing so, the work uses a multi-person aggregation process obtaining the multi-person - FGUAO operator. An example concerning the fixation of the interest rate by the European Central Bank is presented. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. ; We would like to thank the associate editor and the anonymous reviewers for valuable comments that have improved the quality of the paper. Support from the Chilean Government through the Fondecyt Regular program (project number 1160286), the University of Chile, the project PIEF-GA-2011-300062 of the European Commission and the Distinguished Scientist Fellowship Program of the King Saud University (Saudi Arabia), is gratefully acknowledged. ; Merigó -Lindahl, JM.; Gil-Lafuente, AM.; Yu, D.; Llopis Albert, C. (2018). Fuzzy decision making in complex frameworks with generalized aggregation operators. Applied Soft Computing. 68:314-321. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asoc.2018.04.002 ; S ; 314 ; 321 ; 68

This article presents a new aggregation system applied to fuzzy decision making. The fuzzy generalized unified aggregation operator (FGUAO) is a system that integrates many operators by adding a new aggregation process that considers the relevance that each operator has in the analysis. It also deals with an uncertain environment where the information is studied with fuzzy numbers. A wide range of particular cases and properties are studied. This approach is further extended by using quasi-arithmetic means. The paper ends studying the applicability in decision making problems regarding the European Union decisions. For doing so, the work uses a multi-person aggregation process obtaining the multi-person - FGUAO operator. An example concerning the fixation of the interest rate by the European Central Bank is presented.

[Otros] In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) raised to an international pandemic level the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) disease caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2). Consequently, the Spanish government declared the State of Alarm on March 14th, 2020. From that moment on, all non-essential activities were tightened lockdown. This measure affected all levels of education, and face-to-face learning was suspended until the end of the academic year. While the last year all the educational community was forced to suddenly move to online platforms, this year has been rather marked by the need of flexibility in the learning model. The main reasons are the constant threat of global lockdowns, the changing local mobility restriction measures and the forced isolation or quarantine in case of infections or close contact with someone with a positive Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test. This situation has drastically affected the face-to-face teaching model. At the same time, this uncertain scenario has undoubtedly been an opportunity to implement Information and Communications Technology (ICT)activities in our teaching. This paper presents some actions implemented in two subjects of mechanical design of two different master¿s degrees with 36 and 19 students, respectively. The developed resources concern to the learning materials provided to the students, both for theoretical and practical lessons. The audio-visual materials generated over the classes, both videos and annotations on the virtual whiteboard, has also been managed. Finally, the delivery and defence of the students' works have been adapted. As it was foreseeable all, some of the students or the teacher, have followed the classes online over the term. In all cases, the developed materials and the methodology followed have been valid for use in face-to-face teaching, online and blended learning, thus providing the flexibility required. The level of success has been measured, mainly through a survey ...