Abstract
Social network-based engineering education (SNEE) is designed and implemented as a model of Education 3.0 paradigm. SNEE represents a new learning methodology, which is based on the concept of social networks and represents an extended model of project-led education. The concept of social networks was applied in the real-life experiment, considering two different dimensions: (1) to organize the education process as a social network-based process; and (2) to analyze the students' interactions in the context of evaluation of the students learning performance. The objective of this paper is to present a new model for students evaluation based on their behavior during the course and its validation in comparison with the traditional model of students' evaluation. The validation of the new evaluation model is made through an analysis of the correlation between social network analysis measures (degree centrality, closeness centrality, betweenness centrality, eigenvector centrality, and average tie strength) and the grades obtained by students (grades for quality of work, grades for volume of work, grades for diversity of work, and final grades) in a social network-based engineering education. The main finding is that the obtained correlation results can be used to make the process of the students' performance evaluation based on students interactions (behavior) analysis, to make the evaluation partially automatic, increasing the objectivity and productivity of teachers and allowing a more scalable process of evaluation. The results also contribute to the behavioural theory of learning performance evaluation. More specific findings related to the correlation analysis are: (1) the more different interactions a student had (degree centrality) and the more frequently the student was between the interaction paths of other students (betweenness centrality), the better was the quality of the work; (2) all five social network measures had a positive and strong correlation with the grade for volume of work and with the final grades; and (3) a student with high average tie strength had a higher grade for diversity of work than those with low ties.

Abstract

Abstract
The unpredictable and volatile nature of wind power is the main obstacle of this generation source in short-term trading. Owing to the ability of demand side to cover wind power imbalances, aggregated loads have been presented in the literature as a good complementary resource for the wind generation. To this end, this paper proposes a technique to obtain the best offering strategy for a hybrid power plant consisting of a wind power producer and a demand response provider in the power market. In addition, conditional value-at-risk is used to limit the risk on profit variability. Finally, a detailed analysis of a realistic case study based on a wind farm in Spain has illustrated that joint operation of wind power producers and demand response providers can increase the expected profit and reduce the potential risks.

Abstract
A smart city is a sustainable and efficient urban centre that provides a high quality of life to its inhabitants through optimal management of its resources. Energy management is one of the most demanding issues within such urban centres owing to the complexity of the energy systems and their vital role. Therefore, significant attention and effort need to be dedicated to this problem. Modelling and simulation are the major tools commonly used to assess the technological and policy impacts of smart solutions, as well as to plan the best ways of shifting from current cities to smarter ones. This paper reviews energy-related work on planning and operation models within the smart city by classifying their scope into five main intervention areas: generation, storage, infrastructure, facilities, and transport. More-complex urban energy models integrating more than one intervention area are also reviewed, outlining their advantages and limitations, existing trends and challenges, and some relevant applications. Lastly, a methodology for developing an improved energy model in the smart-city context is proposed, along with some additional final recommendations.

Abstract
In this work FZL and FPL fabricated using Focused Ion Beam milling on the top of custom-made optical fibers are presented. Primary, single mode fibers are spliced to a segment of multimode fiber allowing to expand the core region. Subsequently, FZL and FPL with several focusing distances are milled on the top of the fibers. In this regard, the zone and phase plates offer distinct focusing characteristics which are here presented and analyzed. Moreover, the output optical intensity field of the FPL and FZP are evaluated and validated using an implementation of the Finite Differences Time Domain (Lumerical). Lastly, some considerations on the use of the tips as fiber optical tweezers are given.

Abstract
The reuse of treated wastewater could be a promising measure to attenuate the water scarcity burden. In agriculture, irrigation with wastewater may contribute to improve production yields, reduce the ecological footprint and promote socioeconomic benefits. However, it cannot be considered exempt of adverse consequences in environmental and human health. Apart from the introduction of some biological and chemical hazardous agents, the disturbance of the indigenous soil microbial communities and, thus, of vital soil functions impacting soil fertility may occur. The consequences of these disturbances are still poorly understood. This chapter summarises the physicochemical and microbiological alterations in soil resultant from irrigation with treated wastewater that are described in scientific literature. These alterations, which involve a high complexity of variables (soil, wastewater, climate, vegetal cover), may have impacts on soil quality and productivity. In addition, possible health risks may arise, in particular through the direct or indirect contamination of the food chain with micropollutants, pathogens or antibiotic resistance determinants. The current state of the art suggests that irrigation with treated wastewater may have a multitude of long-term implications on soil productivity and public health. Although further research is needed, it seems evident that the analysis of risks associated with irrigation with treated wastewater must take into account not only the quality of water, but other aspects as diverse as soil microbiota, soil type or the cultivated plant species. © 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland.