The economic viability of a photovoltaic (PV) installation depends on regulations regarding administrative, technical and economic conditions associated with self-consumption and the sale of surplus production. Royal Decree (RD) 244/2019 is the Spanish legislation of reference for this case study, in which we analyse and compare PV installation offers by key suppliers. The proposals are not optimal in RD 244/2019 terms and appear not to fully contemplate power generation losses and seem to shift a representative percentage of consumption to the production period. In our case study of a residential dwelling, the best option corresponds to a 5 kWp installation with surplus sale to the market, with a payback period of 18 years and CO₂ emission reductions of 1026 kg/year. Demand-side management offers a potential improvement of 6%–21.8%. Based on the increase in electricity prices since 2020, the best option offers savings of up to €1507.74 and amortization in 4.24 years. Considering costs and savings, sale to the market could be considered as the only feasible regulatory mechanism for managing surpluses, accompanied by measures to facilitate administrative procedures and guarantees for end users.

This study examined the dissatisfaction among Chinese medical students with online medical English courses, which overemphasize grammar yet fail to provide practical opportunities related to medical situations. This study compared co-teaching’s effects, involving native and non-native instructors, with a single-instructor (traditional) model on student satisfaction in online medical English courses. Using a qualitative design, pre- and post-course interviews were conducted with 49 second-year medical students across seven classes, exploring their perceptions of instruction, curriculum, and course satisfaction. The findings indicated that the co-teaching model improved student engagement and satisfaction, not specifically due to the native English-speaking instructor but likely because of the focus on more interactive and discussion-oriented strategies. In contrast, the single-instructor model maintained the traditional grammar-focused instruction, leading to lower satisfaction levels. Both instructional models faced limitations related to their reliance on textbooks for delivering core material needed for the course’s comprehensive exam. These results suggest that the instruction design and approach, rather than the native instructor alone, was the main driver of positive outcomes in co-teaching. The study’s findings suggest a need for curriculum reforms that reduce textbook dependence and incorporate more practical, interactive learning strategies. Future research should consider applying various research techniques, such as mixed-method approaches, longitudinal studies, and experimental designs, to comprehensively assess the long-term effects of instructional strategies and curriculum innovations on student outcomes.

Objective: To evaluate the imaging features of spondyloarthritis on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the sacroiliac (SI) joints in terms of topography (in thirds) and affected margin, since this aspect is rarely addressed in the literature. Methods: Cross-sectional study with MRI (1.5 T) evaluation of the SI in 16 patients with diagnosis of axial spondyloarthritis regarding the presence of acute (subchondral bone edema, enthesitis, synovitis and capsulitis) and chronic changes (erosions, subchondral bone sclerosis, bone bridging and fatty replacement), performed by two radiologists, blinded to clinical data. MRI findings were correlated with clinical data including age, disease duration, medications, HLA-B27, BASDAI, ASDAS-VHS and ASDAS-PCR, BASMI, BASFI, and mSASSS. Results: Bone edema pattern and erosions showed predominance in the upper third of SI (p = 0.050, p = 0.0014, respectively). There was a correlation between the time of disease and structural changes by affected third (p = 0.028-0.037), as well as the presence of bone bridges with BASMI (p = 0.028) and mSASSS (p = 0.014). Patients with osteitis of the lower third had higher ASDAS values (ESRV: p = 0.011 and CRP: p = 0.017). Conclusion: Chronic inflammatory changes and the pattern of bone edema predominated in the upper third of the SI, but there was also concomitant involvement of the middle or lower thirds of the joint. The localization of involvement in the upper third of the SI was insufficient to differentiate between degeneration and inflammation.

The interest in using project management office (PMO) services in organizations to manage their construction projects is growing in light of rising economic, technological, and social developments based on their ability to achieve organizational goals while avoiding risks. Accordingly, organizations use PMO services to manage their technical and financial project issues to periodically evaluate PMO performance and services in a scientific, practical, and measurable way to ensure successful project path via PMO. Therefore, this research aims to develop a performance evaluation system that enables organizations to follow up and evaluate the PMO performance to ensure that PMO manages the organizations’ expectations and goals successfully according to certain quality, scope, and cost. The study builds on significant findings in PMO competence indexes as evaluation matrix, which includes five basic categories with 136 indexes covering the project life cycle. The matrix was developed based on literature analysis and supplemented with experts’ interviews in construction management. The developed robust competency-based index (RCI) for directive PMO supports the organizations to conduct client satisfaction, correction, or partial/total change of the PMO’s competence flow within five construction project life cycle and process, i.e. governance, portfolio, information, execution, and contract issues.

Yunnan is rich in cultural heritage, with its primitive pottery techniques coexisting with modern pottery techniques, and is known as the “Museum of Ceramic History”. Due to regional and socio-economic development factors, some folk pottery and craftsmen have faded out of sight or only circulated in a few small areas and specific environments. The study analyzes and summarizes the characteristics of Yunnan folk pottery and industry and evaluates the Yunnan folk pottery value based on the conditional valuation method. The study takes the folk pottery of the Bai nationality in Dali, Yunnan as an example and obtains the evaluation results of the purchasing motivation value of the pottery through a questionnaire survey. 45.26% of people pay for their existence value, 26.03% pay for their choice value, and 28.71% pay for their legacy value. Based on the evaluation results, the study proposes targeted activation paths for Yunnan folk pottery, including innovative development combined with new technologies, highlighting the functional characteristics of pottery, and brand building. This study will help Yunnan folk pottery find more suitable ways of protection and inheritance in the rapid development of materials and technology. This study can help inheritors gain the possibility of sustainable development and provide reference value for the activation path of other traditional folk.

In this study, the enrichment of the major oxide, trace element/heavy metal and rare earth element contents of the rocks outcropping in Kısacık and its vicinity (Ayvacık-Çanakkale/Türkiye) were investigated. The rocks in the field were handled in 5 groups, and whole rock analyses were carried out for 22 samples collected representing these rock groups and Element Enrichment Factor (EEF) of the major oxide, trace element/heavy metal and rare earth element contents of the rocks were calculated. As a result, it was determined that the Kısacık volcanics were enriched in SiO₂, Fe₂O₃, K₂O, Be, Co, Cs, Th, U, W, La, Eu, Tm, Yb, Lu, Mo, As, Cd, Sb, Bi and Hg elements at a rate of >1 to >150 according to the upper crust values, and the Fe₂O₃, MgO, CaO, TiO₂, P₂O₅, MnO, Cr, Sc, Co, Nb, Sr, Mo, Cu, Ni, Cad, Sb, Bi, V, Cu and Cd concentrations of the Ophiolitic Mélange were enriched in ratios ranging from >1 to >36 according to the upper crust values. It has been also observed that the listvenitic rocks in the Ophiolitic Mélange are enriched in Cr, Co, Ni, As and Hg elements compared to the upper crust. As to Kazdağ Group, MgO, CaO, K₂O, MnO, Cr, Co, Ta, U, W, Mo, Cu, Ni, As and Cd were enriched. Listvenite were enriched in SiO₂, Fe₂O₃, MgO, Mn, Cr, Co, Ni, As, Sb and Hg at a rate of >1 to >32 according to the upper crust values. When the rocks in the area were evaluated together, some oxides (e.g., CaO, MgO, Fe₂O₃, TiO₂) and elements (e.g., Cr, Ni, Co) were enriched due to parental rock, while some oxides (e.g., SiO₂, K₂O and MnO) and elements (As, Sb, Hg) were enriched due to epigenic processes such as hydrothermal alteration and weathering.