Seville Research Articles

Techno-economic Assessment and Optimization of a Solar-Driven Power and Hydrogen Co-generation Plant Retrofitted with Enhanced Energy Storage

Pioneering solar-driven power and co-generation facilities stands as a crucial stride toward decarbonizing energy systems. Moreover, the production of green hydrogen serves as the cornerstone of decarbonized energy systems. This study evaluates a solar-driven co-generation plant for power and hydrogen production employing the vanadium-chlorine cycle. The plant is integrated with a thermal storage system of solid materials as a packed bed to increase the capacity factor. Three cases are studied based on energy storage materials. The first case uses alumina, while the second and third cases utilize steel slag with varying compounds. Following an extensive sensitivity analysis, an artificial neural network is formulated to subject each case to three-objective optimization using a genetic algorithm. Moreover, Seville in Spain is selected as the designated case study, and real-world solar availability data is employed to enhance the authenticity and realism of the results. Results show using steel slag as an energy storage material instead of alumina reduces the levelized cost of energy and the cost of thermal energy storage units by 14 and 69%, respectively. From both economic and environmental perspectives, the second case emerges as the most favorable option. Through the implementation of a 36.3-hectare solar farm in Seville, the second case generates 38.5 GWh electricity and 2.1 kton hydrogen with a cost of 189 USD/MWh and 7.2 USD/kg, respectively, factoring in expenses for hydrogen compression and storage facilities. This case has the potential to reduce Spain's CO2 emissions by 51 kton per year.

Can Views and Contact with Nature at Home Help Combat Anxiety and Depression during the Pandemic? Results of the GreenCOVID study.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown measures have had important consequences on the mental health of the population, although little is known about the role played by nature and its benefits. The present study aims to evaluate the risk of anxiety and depression during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain and to identify the factors most strongly associated with anxiety and depression, including sociodemographic, household characteristics, and access to or contact with natural environment. GreenCOVID is an online cross-sectional study promoted by the Health & Territory Research (HTR) of the University of Seville in Spain, Maynooth University in Ireland, and the University of Winchester in the United Kingdom. This study includes only data from Spain which were collected between April 8, 2020 and April 27, 2020. Binary logistic regression was conducted to identify the factors associated with anxiety and depression through the HADS scale. Of the total of 2,464 adults who participated in GreenCOVID Spain, mean age was 38.1 years, 72.6% were female, 58.1% were at risk of anxiety, and 32.3% of depression. In the multivariable logistic regression, the factors associated with risk of anxiety were female: gender, being a student and problems at home. Regarding the risk of depression, the factors most associated were being a student, female gender, problems at home, worse evaluation of views from home and less help from outside views to cope with lockdown. Our findings show that during COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to sociodemographic factors female gender and being a student, problems at home, lack of natural elements in the home, and worse appreciation of views from home were associated with mental health problems. Thus, housing conditions and access to the natural environment were important for mental health during COVID-19 lockdown.

Design and Application of a Citizen Participation Tool to Improve Public Management of Drought Situations

The growing scarcity of water for human consumption in southern Europe is driving today’s public administrations to search for new ways of optimising its availability. Within this context, the purpose of this paper is to analyse whether citizen participation is an appropriate way of improving the management of available water, as several international organisations suggest. This study is part of a research project carried out by the University of Seville in Spain on behalf of the city of Seville’s metropolitan water supply company, hereinafter EMASESA. A qualitative method is applied in this research using pre-mortem testing techniques, enabling a specific participation tool to be designed, called the EMASESA Water Observatory, which this article describes in detail. The tool produced specific measures aimed at better addressing drought situations. In view of the practical application of this newly designed tool, we conclude that citizen participation is indeed useful in identifying solutions to improve public water policies and drought management. It is also concluded that the tool’s design calling for active participation is a positive factor in its application. Finally, the tool has also demonstrated that it generates knowledge that can be used to address other water-related issues and challenges, beyond those related to water availability.

The importance for wellbeing of having views of nature from and in the home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results from the GreenCOVID study

IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic has influenced the daily lives of people and may affect their well-being. The aim of the present study is to assess well-being and associated factors during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the general population in three European countries. MethodsGreenCOVID was an observational cross-sectional study using an online survey (7 April 2020 to 24 July 2020) promoted by the Health & Territory Research (HTR) of the University of Seville in Spain, Maynooth University in Ireland, and the University of Winchester in England, which included a sample of 3109 unselected adults. Well-being was measured using the World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5) scale. Seven aspects, related to the natural environment of the home, were evaluated (role of outdoor views in coping with lockdown, importance of blue spaces during lockdown, importance of green spaces during lockdown, quality of view from home, use of outdoor spaces or window views, elements of nature in the home, and views of green or blue spaces from home). Binary logistic regression was conducted to identify the parameters associated with poor well-being. ResultsMean age was 39.7 years and 79.3% lived in Spain, the majority in urban areas (92.8%). 73.0% were female and 72.0% had undertaken university studies. Poor well-being was reported by 59.0%, while 26.6% indicated the possible presence of clinical depression. The factors most associated with poor well-being were students (OR = 1.541), those who had no engagement in physical activity (OR = 1.389), those who reported ‘living in Spain’ compared to Ireland (OR = 0.724), being female (OR = 1.256), poor quality views from home (OR = 0.887), less benefit from views of the natural environment to cope with lockdown (OR = 0.964), and those younger in age (OR = 0.990). ConclusionsMore than half of participants reported poor well-being and one in four indicated the possible presence of clinical depression during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. We identified that belonging to a younger age cohort, being a student, being female, not being able to continue with daily pursuits such as physical activity, and having poorer quality of views from home led to poor well-being among participants. Our study highlights the importance of continued physical activity and views of nature to improve the well-being of individuals during times of crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Investigation of the Mechanical Properties for Polymer Reinforced by Nanoparticles with Considering Viscoelasticity of the Matrix

Investigation of the Mechanical Properties for Polymer Reinforced by Nanoparticles with Considering Viscoelasticity of the Matrix

Holiday Rentals in Cultural Tourism Destinations: A Comparison of Booking.com-Based Daily Rate Estimation for Seville and Porto

Multiple variables determine holiday rentals’ price composition in cultural tourism destinations. This study sought, first, to test a model including the variables with the greatest impact on tourism accommodations’ prices in these destinations and, second, to demonstrate the proposed model’s applicability to cultural city destinations by identifying the adaptations needed to apply it to different contexts. Two cities were selected for the model application—Seville in Spain and Porto in Portugal—both of which are located in different countries and are well-known cultural tourism destinations. The data were extracted from Booking.com because this accommodations platform has adapted its offer to the sharing economy, becoming one of the most important players in the market, and because research on holiday rentals using data from Booking.com is scarce. The results show that the variables used are relevant and highlight the adaptations necessary for specific cultural tourism destinations, thereby indicating that the model can be applied to all cultural tourism destinations. The proposed approach can help holiday rental managers select the correct tools for determining their accommodation units’ daily rates according to their product and marketing context’s characteristics.

Localised, regional, inter-regional and national memory politics: The case of Spain’s La Ranilla prison and Andalusia’s mnemonic framework

The article takes as its point of departure the memory initiatives centring on the former Provincial Prison of Seville in Spain, better known as La Ranilla, and the Law on Historic and Democratic Memory of Andalusia, enacted by the regional government of Andalusia in March 2017. The study examines the local and inter-regional entanglement of memories of collectives, such as local neighbourhood associations, trade unions and Francoist political prisoners and their impact on regional and national memory policies. I argue that regional communities such as Andalusia and other autonomous regions have developed distinct regional collective identities and memories and are hence extending and/or opposing national memory politics by drawing on select localised, inter-regional and global paradigms, evident in the production of counter-narratives by regional governments. The study aims to provide new perspectives for understanding the combination and limitations of localised, regional, inter-regional and national memory politics in regional communities. The conclusion examines the limits to regional justice initiatives when opposing state laws such as the 1977 Amnesty Law.

Codicological and paleographical study of manuscript A 331/143 BUS. A romance version of Historia Gothica, by Rodrigo Jiménez de Rada.

La falta de una clasificación sistemática de los manuscritos castellanos ha dificultado conocer con exactitud las tendencias seguidas en la elaboración de los códices a lo largo de los siglos, carencia no obstante a la que se está poniendo fin con los estudios al respecto de los últimos años. El presente artículo espera contribuir a esta línea de investigación sirviéndose del análisis codicológico y paleográfico para, a ser posible, determinar la cronología aproximada del ms. A 331/143 de la Biblioteca Universitaria de Sevilla, contenedor de una traducción de la crónica Historia de rebus Hispaniae o Historia Gothica del arzobispo de Toledo Rodrigo Jiménez de Rada (1170-1247). Ésta, además, no ha sido tenida en cuenta hasta la fecha en los estudios sobre la tradición textual de esta obra. También se comparará con una selección de manuscritos conservados de distintas versiones de esta crónica

The catalogue of manuscripts of the "Curioso Andaluz": a bibliographic mystery solved.

El Catálogo de manuscritos especiales de España, anteriores al año 1600, que logró juntar en la mayor parte un curioso andaluz, es el largo título de una obra anónima y sin fecha, que se ha considerado tradicionalmente un inventario hecho en 1804 de una misteriosa biblioteca de la que nada se ha podido averiguar, aunque se cree que tras ese “curioso andaluz” se esconde el sevillano Argote de Molina. En las líneas que siguen, demostraremos que el Catálogo no pasa de ser un simple listado de títulos de manuscritos que su anónimo autor sacó de diversas fuentes escritas, algunas de las cuales damos a conocer.

Un horizonte de progreso

Las exposiciones universales funcionaron como un espacio de conversación y de competencia entre las naciones. Allí se exhibían los logros industriales, las invenciones y las curiosidades de cada país. Los países latinoamericanos se esforzaban por presentar una imagen próspera por medio de los elementos exhibidos, la arquitectura y la decoración interior de su pabellón, que se hacía con pinturas murales efímeras que solo duraban el tiempo de la exposición. El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar los murales que se realizaron para el Pabellón Argentino de una serie de exposiciones universales para comprender su narrativa visual en torno a qué imagen de la Argentina se buscaba proyectar. Nos centraremos en las exposiciones que se desarrollaron en el periodo de entreguerras, fundamentalmente en la Exposición de Sevilla, de 1929; la de París, de 1937; y la de Nueva York, de 1939.

El tabernáculo de la Virgen de los Reyes y la memoria documental de otros tabernáculos góticos de la catedral de Sevilla

Estudio del tabernáculo de la Virgen de los Reyes (h. 1278) y su instalación en la capilla Real renacentista (1579). Revisión y noticias documentales del tabernáculo encargado al orfebre Sancho Martínez (1366), aportaciones al conocimiento del tabernáculo de la Virgen de la Sede y al tardogótico de la Virgen de la Antigua (1497-1499) de la catedral de Sevilla.

Traslado y cambio de nombre: cuando la Gaceta (constitucional) de Madrid se transformó en Gaceta Española (abril-octubre de 1823)

espanolCuando, ante la inminencia de la invasion francesa, la familia Real, el Gobierno y las principales instituciones, por orden de las Cortes, se trasladaron a Sevilla donde hicieron su entrada el 10 de abril de 1823, la Gaceta espanola, que inicio su andadura al dia siguiente, paso a ser el nuevo organo de prensa del gobierno constitucional, en sustitucion de la Gaceta de Madrid que se siguio publicando, pero en una villa que ya no era corte. A partir de la documentacion conservada en el Archivo Historico Nacional (Madrid) se ofrece un analisis de la trayectoria de la Gaceta espanola (Sevilla-Cadiz, abril-octubre 1823) que permite apreciar la diversidad y relevancia de los problemas con los que se enfrento ese periodico oficial cuya supresion o privatizacion era politicamente imposible, al mismo tiempo que ilustra la crisis que, desde el inicio del Trienio Liberal, afecto a la prensa oficial EnglishFaced with an imminent French invasion, the Spanish Cortes ordered the Royal Family, the Government and the main political institutions to relocate to Seville, which they did on the 10th of April 1823. In Seville, the Gaceta Espanola —which appeared on the day immediately after the arrival of the government in Seville— became the new voice of the constitutional government, replacing the Gaceta de Madrid, which continued to be published albeit in a city (Madrid) that was no longer the seat of government. In this article we offer an analysis of the Gaceta Espanola (Seville-Cadiz, April-October 1823) based on documentation held at the Archivo Historico Nacional (Madrid), which will allows us to understand the plurality and nature of the challenges faced by a periodical whose official nature meant that it could not be cancelled or privatised, while at the same time speaks for the crisis that, since the beginning of the Liberal Triennium, affected government publications

El pintor Alonso de Narváez y la devoción a la virgen de Chiquinquirá. Nuevos aportes biográficos

El primer pintor europeo del que tenemos noticias en territorio neogranadino es el sevillano Alonso de Narváez, establecido en Tunja pocos años después de haberse fundado la ciudad en 1539. Sobre su vida apenas hay referencias, a pesar de ser el autor de la Virgen de Chiquinquirá, cuya fama y devoción pronto traspasará los límites de la Audiencia y de la que daremos cuenta a lo largo del texto. En este artículo reconstruimos el árbol genealógico de Narváez, así como otros aspectos relacionados con su biografía, su labor como artista y sus lazos sociales y de vecindad. Para ello nos hemos servido de su testamento, de varios pleitos, de censos de población, memoriales y otros documentos oficiales.

Discriminación, apoyo social y bienestar psicológico en personas con trastornos mentales

En esta investigación se estudian los discursos y prácticas relacionados con la salud mental en la ciudad de Sevilla observando la influencia de estos sobre el bienestar psicológico de sujetos con trastornos bipolar y depresión. No sólo se trata de visibilizar un fenómeno de gran importancia de cara al futuro sanitario, sino que se hace desde una perspectiva diferente, una perspectiva social. Frente a enfoques hegemónicamente biologicistas en el abordaje de la salud, la visión de las ciencias sociales puede enriquecer notablemente el conocimiento respecto al tema tratado, generando oportunidades difíciles de ver desde otras posiciones.
 Se emplea una metodología cualitativa que pone en evidencia la variabilidad discursiva de cara al fenómeno estudiado, así como la influencia positiva del apoyo social sobre el bienestar psicológico de sujetos con trastornos mentales.

Optimal Alignments for Designing Urban Transport Systems: Application to Seville

The achievement of some of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) from the recent 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has drawn the attention of many countries towards urban transport networks. Mathematical modeling constitutes an analytical tool for the formal description of a transportation system whereby it facilitates the introduction of variables and the definition of objectives to be optimized. One of the stages of the methodology followed in the design of urban transit systems starts with the determination of corridors to optimize the population covered by the system whilst taking into account the mobility patterns of potential users and the time saved when the public network is used instead of private means of transport. Since the capture of users occurs at stations, it seems reasonable to consider an extensive and homogeneous set of candidate sites evaluated according to the parameters considered (such as pedestrian population captured and destination preferences) and to select subsets of stations so that alignments can take place. The application of optimization procedures that decide the sequence of nodes composing the alignment can produce zigzagging corridors, which are less appropriate for the design of a single line. The main aim of this work is to include a new criterion to avoid the zigzag effect when the alignment is about to be determined. For this purpose, a curvature concept for polygonal lines is introduced, and its performance is analyzed when criteria of maximizing coverage and minimizing curvature are combined in the same design algorithm. The results show the application of the mathematical model presented for a real case in the city of Seville in Spain.

Simulation of a 100-MW solar-powered thermo-chemical air separation system combined with an oxy-fuel power plant for bio-energy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS)

The combination of concentrated solar power–chemical looping air separation (CSP-CLAS) with an oxy-fuel combustion process for carbon dioxide (CO2) capture is a novel system to generate electricity from solar power and biomass while being able to store solar power efficiently. In this study, the computer program Advanced System for Process Engineering Plus (ASPEN Plus) was used to develop models to assess the process performance of such a process with manganese (Mn)-based oxygen carriers on alumina (Al2O3) support for a location in the region of Seville in Spain, using real solar beam irradiance and electricity demand data. It was shown that the utilisation of olive tree prunings (Olea europaea) as the fuel—an agricultural residue produced locally—results in negative CO2 emissions (a net removal of CO2 from the atmosphere). Furthermore, it was found that the process with an annual average electricity output of 18 MW would utilise 2.43% of Andalusia’s olive tree prunings, thereby capturing 260.5 k-tonnes of CO2, annually. Drawbacks of the system are its relatively high complexity, a significant energy penalty in the CLAS process associated with the steam requirements for the loop-seal fluidisation, and the gas storage requirements. Nevertheless, the utilisation of agricultural residues is highly promising, and given the large quantities produced globally (~ 4 billion tonnes/year), it is suggested that other novel processes tailored to these fuels should be investigated, under consideration of a future price on CO2 emissions, integration potential with a likely electricity grid system, and based on the local conditions and real data.

Aprendizaje autorregulado de estudiantes universitarios: Los usos de las tecnologías digitales

Durante los últimos años, el uso de la tecnología se ha vuelto más frecuente entre las personas por las ventajas y facilidades que ofrece. A través de ella se van adquiriendo conocimientos y desarrollando destrezas digitales que utilizamos para nuestro beneficio. Los estudiantes cada día son más conscientes de los procesos que llevan a cabo para organizar y dominar su propio aprendizaje con el uso de las tecnologías. El objetivo de nuestra investigación es conocer en qué medida los estudiantes universitarios utilizan la tecnología para autorregular su aprendizaje. Nos referimos por Aprendizaje Autorregulado a la manera en que los estudiantes son capaces de planificar, dirigir, aprovechar y establecer sus propios objetivos para dominar su propio aprendizaje y aplicar los conocimientos en diferentes contextos. El método utilizado fue: encuestas de tipo cuestionario a 138 estudiantes de la Universidad de Sevilla, en España, y a 166 de diferentes universidades en República Dominicana de diversas carreras, donde un 59% eran mujeres, y un 41 % hombres. Los resultados mostraron que, si bien el uso de recursos tecnológicos como cursos online, búsqueda de información en la web, compartir información con los profesores y compañeros, beneficia a los estudiantes, no es un factor determinante para autorregular su aprendizaje, más bien, se necesita de procesos relacionados a la metacognición, con el entorno donde los estudiantes desarrollan los procesos de aprendizaje y las actividades que realizan dentro y fuera del aula.

Analysis of Heavy Metals in Smoke Deposits in the Limewash of the Royal Artillery Factory of Seville (17th Century): Contributions to the Location of the Furnaces

The Royal Artillery Factory of Seville in Spain originated from pre‐existing private bronze foundries dating from the 16th century. The paper analyses the stratigraphy of wall cladding in the areas traditionally known as the ‘Old Foundry’ and the ‘New Foundry’, through its characterization by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy with energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectrometry (SEM‐EDX), micro‐X‐ray fluorescence (μ‐XRF) and micro‐X‐ray diffraction (μ‐XRD), in order to analyse the metal deposits that have accumulated since the 17th century. The data obtained allowed the verification of the available historiographical information and the location of the original bronze smelting furnaces. The analysis of patinas deposited on the overlapping layers of lime also confirmed that neither the raw materials nor the composition of the alloys used presented any substantial changes.

Aportaciones a la flora comarcal de la provincia de Sevilla (España)

Se citan quince taxones de interés corológico en Andalucía occidental, siendo tres de ellos, Glyceria notata, Ononis pusilla var. pusilla y Rhamnus myrtifolia subsp. iranzoi novedades para la provincia de Sevilla, otros nueve son novedad para las Campiñas Alta o Baja y tres especies más constituyen la segunda cita en dichas comarcas de la provincia de Sevilla.

Visitar para reformar los oficios de la Armada de la Carrera de Indias (1642-1654)

espanolEntre las cedulas de comision que fueron despachadas por el Consejo de Indias en 1642 para visitar la Casa de la Contratacion, el Consulado de Sevilla y la administracion del derecho de averia, se encontraba una cedula particular que cometia al visitador a inspeccionar a los oficiales de la armada de la Carrera de Indias que se afanaban en la logistica de las armadas y flotas. Dados los profundos cambios que se produjeron en la administracion de la averia, de la que dependia la financiacion de las armadas, al mismo tiempo que la visita estaba teniendo lugar, analizaremos en este trabajo una reforma en los oficios de proveedor general, veedor general y contador de la armada de la Carrera, que vino a consumir la perpetuidad de estos empleos que habian sido adquiridos venal-mente en la decada de 1630 y a variar sus procedimientos para hacerlos mas eficaces. EnglishIn 1642, the Council of Indies issued several orders to inspect the Casa de Contratacion, the Sevillian Consulate and the administration of the averia. Among these orders were a particular command to the visitor in order to examine the fleet system officers in charge of the logistics and supplies. During the visita there were several changes in the administration of the Averia that in-volved the fleets funding, and other offices attached to it. In this work we analyse the reform and the change of procedures of the offices of proveedor general, veedor general y contador de la armada de la Carrera, which were sold to private owners in the 1630 decade and recovered for the royal estate.