Sistema Regional de Información
en línea para Revistas Científicas de América Latina,
el Caribe, España y Portugal

Context: The stress intensity factor range threshold (ΔKth) is a value below which fatigue crack propagation is insignificant. This factor is usually employed to establish the fatigue life of an engineering element. However, its determination, the way in which the different factors influence its value, and its application are still subjects of discussion. Method: This paper discusses the methods and criteria for determining ΔKth and the factors that affect it. Results: Standard ASTM experimental methods are the most used tests. However, they may prove to be inaccurate, since compression pre-cracking tests can yield conservative results. In recent years, many sound analytical and numerical methods for the determination of the threshold have been proposed. Many factors and variables can affect the value of ΔKth, such as crack closure, geometry, crack size, load characteristics, microstructure, material properties, environment, residual stresses, and mixed-mode loads. Conclusions: The threshold can be determined via standard ASTM tests or theoretical or numerical methods. Much progress has been made in this field, but more research is required to improve experimental methods and obtain analytical or numerical methods that more comprehensively capture the different complexities, factors, and variables that affect the threshold.

Context: Timber construction is not among the most popular options due to cultural issues in Brazil. Timber housing standards and costs remain uncertain subjects, and this study seeks to investigate these secular gaps.Method: Basic unitary costs for different finishing standards and production types were measured through face-to-face interviews led by a semi-structured questionnaire. A margin of error was used to validate all results. Entrepreneurs from six Brazilian states were randomly interviewed to obtain a representative sample.Results: The sampling exceeded 50% of the sector population and provided significant outcomes. More than 40% of timber housing techniques showed competitive costs in comparison with masonry. There are feasible alternatives of timber housing for the different scenarios analyzed.Conclusions: Timber houses are economically viable in Brazil, even compared to traditional examples built via masonry. Attractive costs for all social classes symbolize a strong factor in conquering housing markets.

Context: Approaches to logistics solutions through mathematical optimization are widely studied in the literature given their importance for business operations and their computational complexity. In this way, studying the uncertainty associated to operations is a key factor in modeling and decision-making. Method: A stochastic mathematical model is proposed for the Inventory Routing Problem (IRP), considering scenarios with variation in the demands. To obtain a suitable approach, a p-robustness approach and the reformulation of the classical IRP are presented. Results: The performed experiments show the benefits of including uncertainty through a p-robust approach when they are analyzed within an instance of the IRP. Moreover, given the selected modeling, the benefits of combining the approaches can be analyzed. Conclusions: The development of stochastic approaches for decision-making applied to the IRP allow analysts to handle uncertainty and also reduce the complexity of decision when combining different types of problems (Routing + Inventory) in the same model.

Context:  Non-fatal injuries represent a public health issue. Among them, lower limb fractures have a large impact on the costs related to orthopedic treatments. In this work, a three-dimensional reconstruction of the tibia and fibula was performed for biomechanical applications with the purpose of defining the 3D reconstruction parameters that allow reducing patients’ radiation exposure and computational costs.  Method: For the 3D reconstruction, a computerized tomography taken from a volunteer was used, as well as two software applications specialized in DICOM image reconstruction (Mimics Research and 3DSlicer). The number of images included in the volume was modified, and the results were compared. The quality of the reconstructed volumes was verified by comparing the reference volume reconstructed with the total number of images/slices vs. the modified volumes. The MeshLab software was used for this purpose. The analyzed parameters were the distance differences between the reference and the alternative models, as well as the qualitative curvature analysis. Results: The ANOVA results for the Max (maximum distance between meshes) response shows that software and slices are significant factors. However, the software-slices interaction did not have a significant influence. As for the RMS (root mean square) distance response, software, slices, and the software-slices interaction are not significant. For the Mean distance response, slices and the software-slices interaction are not significant. Nevertheless, software significantly influences the response. These results suggest a potential way to reduce the computational cost and the patient’s radiation exposure in future biomechanical and preoperatory analyses, since the same quality can be obtained by including fewer 2D images in the reconstruction. Conclusions: The reconstructed surfaces are smoother when Mimics is used, even though the same smoothness factor was employed in both software applications during the reconstruction. When 16 slices are used (retained every 16 images from the complete original model), the distance differences increased for both bones (tibia and fibula). For the RMS, reducing the number of slices and using either one of the two applications analyzed would not show any significant differences in the reconstruction, thus allowing the potential reduction of radiation exposure of the patient. Acknowledgements: The authors are grateful to Universidad Nacional de Colombia for funding the project “Estado de esfuerzos en un elemento de osteosíntesis en la consolidación de una fractura de miembro inferior”. 

The objective of this article is to analyze and synthesize AEVAL’s experience as a reference and international influence in the institutionalization of evaluation, providing evidence of such influence and on the use by international organizations of AEVAL’s experience as a model for several countries. The international influence of this Spanish experience of institutionalization of evaluation is highlighted. International organizations such as the OECD and the World Bank took AEVAL as one of their key references. In Latin America, CLAD and ReLAC disseminated the AEVAL experience and some countries such as Argentina, Chile and Mexico relied on AEVAL for the design of evaluation entities at the national and / or subnational level. After a methodological discussion, including a theory of change, a set of activities that have contributed to the international influence of AEVAL are presented as results. The article concludes that AEVAL has become an international reference regarding the institutionalization of evaluation, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean. Furthermore, its influence has also extended, although to a lesser extent, to Africa, Europe and international organizations.

Institutional intelligence offers a new perspective on data analysis to generate knowledge and to guide decision-making process. To manage it properly, the data value chain must be supported by a governance framework. This article identifies the components required for its application and highlights the benefits and opportunities for guiding public policies through evidence are highlighted, as well as the risks and obstacles to be faced. In addition, a review of the national and European regulatory context is carried out where data come to occupy a primary place in the work done by the Public Administration. The existence in the Spanish State Administration of structures, competencies and experiences related to the process of obtaining and managing data, its transformation into information and this into knowledge, is analyzed. With this research, it can be stated that there is evidence that places the SSA on the path of becoming a data-driven organization and some proposals for improvement are suggested to guide it.

This article analyses the salary competitiveness in the Spanish Administration of the senior officials assigned to the general administration areas of the central services of the State, five autonomous communities and five local governments.The compensation concepts that are handled, supplements for posts and specific, were obtained from the corresponding list of jobs. The statistics used in the salary diagnosis were the mode, median, mean, quartiles and the minimum and maximum salaries identified in each of the administrations studied.The main results show that the mean and median obtained from the destination and specific supplements for each of the levels of the posts reveals the lower remuneration of the officials of the General State Administration (GSA).Among the conclusions stand out: the implementation of the public senior management should attend to the principles of merit, capacity and concurrence; a higher level of responsibility and technical complexity should correspond to a sufficiently significant increase in remuneration; the study has shown the lack of competitiveness of the GSA to compensate its senior officials in relation to officials who perform similar functions in the Administrations analysed.

Spain was among the worst hit countries during the first waves of the COVID-19. Globally, policymakers required science advice to guide their decisions and inform the general public. This science advice for policy and decision-making and relation with the whole society fits into the epistemic dimension or the use of public debate to achieve the best decision within the deliberative democratic systems. In its exercise, boundary organisations and the role of scientists as honest brokers both stand out. This case study is the first qualitative evaluation of the main political and scientific actors and organisations, which comprised the science-for-policy ecosystem in Spain during the pandemic, of their actions, and of the frictions that could have hampered the crisis management. From the policy side, science was present in official speeches and there was a proliferation of ad hoc advisory committees, but there was media confusion about their independence and transparency, likely due to communication issues and political polarisation. From the scientific side, there was a cacophony of experts in the public sphere and competence for policy attention, with controversies about the policy decisions taken. This study concludes with recommendations for institutional improvement and democratic deliberation.

Since 2009, draft bills and regulations must be accompanied by the memorandum on the regulatory impact analysis. In addition, Act No. 26/2015 introduced the enforceability of regulatory impact analysis on families. However, it is not being properly performed. The main reason for this is the absence of a methodology guide with clear guidelines on sources, techniques and procedures to be used. Assessment tools and procedures are needed in order to guarantee valid and reliable analysis, as well as to tone down the burdens of the public administration professionals dealing with this task.This paper examines the introduction and development of regulatory impact analysis on families in Spain, which is considered an ex ante assessment tool for better regulation. It gives an overview of the current situation concerning the implementation of regulatory impact analysis at Central Administration and Autonomous Communities level. Reflecting the confusion and disparity of criteria when it comes to perform this type of assessment. And finally suggests guidelines to properly carry out regulatory impact analysis on families.

The article analyzes the methodology designed and applied by The National Agency for the Evaluation of Public Policies and Quality of Services in the evaluation of programs and public policies throughout their years of existence (2007-2017). An eclectic methodology, mainly pluralistic, although partially adopting other perspectives and paradigms. It was the result of continuous learning and evaluation practice. It reflects on different institutional and organizational elements that conditioned both its methodology and its evaluation practice. The design of AEVAL evaluations, with particular reference to the methods and techniques used, and their evaluation process, are also analysed. Finally, some of the strengths and weaknesses of the Agency’s methodology are highlighted.