The history of technology in education. A comparative study and forecast

Area, launched in 1999 with the Bologna Declaration, has bestowed such a magnitude and unprecedented agility to the transformation process undertaken by European universities. However, the change has been more profound and drastic with regards to the use of new technologies both inside and outside the classroom. This article focuses on the study and analysis of the technology���s history within the university education and its impact on teachers, students and teaching methods. All the elements that have been significant and innovative throughout the history inside the teaching process have been analyzed, from the use of blackboard and chalk during lectures, the use of slide projectors and transparent slides, to the use of electronic whiteboards and Internet nowadays. The study is complemented with two types of surveys that have been performed among teachers and students during the school years 1999 - 2011 in the School of Civil Engineering at the Polytechnic University of Madrid. The pros and cons of each of the techniques and methodologies used in the learning process over the last decades are described, unfolding how they have affected the teacher, who has evolved from writing on a whiteboard to project onto a screen, the student, who has evolved from taking handwritten notes to download information or search the Internet, and the educational process, that has evolved from the lecture to acollaborative learning and project-based learning. It is unknown how the process of learning will evolve in the future, but we do know the consequences that some of the multimedia technologies are having on teachers, students and the learning process. It is our goal as teachers to keep ourselves up to date, in order to offer the student adequate technical content, while providing proper motivation through the use of new technologies. The study provides a forecast in the evolution of multimedia within the classroom and the renewal of the education process, which in our view, will set the basis for future learning process within the context of this new interactive era.

Preliminary Study and Proposal for Restoring a Jesuit College at Saragossa, Spain

A historical study and a construction pathology survey were conducted prior to proposing a solution for restoring the upper windows on the south side of Old San Carlos College at Saragossa (16th-17th centuries), wich had been forteited to add a third storey to the cloister. Althought initially designed to a simple large hall format, the church is a harmonius blend of Aragonese Gothic architecture and typical Jesuit scheme, consisting in a central nave flanket by chapel-confessional and raised galleries for the community. A subsequent enlargement of the roof, wich rests on the original framing over the central nave, reduced the mechanical strength of the principal rafters on the opposite side, prompting a concomitant imbalance of forces that has affected the entire structure. In view of the foregoing, in addition to restituting the upper window, the proposal solution envisages restoring the roof over the central nave to its original design, and with the interior lighting in the church.

Analytical study and evaluation results of power optimizers for distributed power conditioning in PV arrays

The use of modular or ���micro��� maximum power point tracking (MPPT) converters at module level in series association, commercially known as ���power optimizers���, allows the individual adaptation of each panel to the load, solving part of the problems related to partial shadows and different tilt and/or orientation angles of the photovoltaic (PV) modules. This is particularly relevant in building integrated PV systems. This paper presents useful behavioural analytical studies of cascade MPPT converters and evaluation test results of a prototype developed under a Spanish national research project. On the one hand, this work focuses on the development of new useful expressions which can be used to identify the behaviour of individual MPPT converters applied to each module and connected in series, in a typical grid-connected PV system. On the other hand, a novel characterization method of MPPT converters is developed, and experimental results of the prototype are obtained: when individual partial shading is applied, and they are connected in a typical grid connected PV array

Study and Restoration Proposal for the Maison en Bord de Mer: E.1027 by Eileen Gray and Jean Badovici

This study constitutes an establishment of the main guidelines for the restoration of modern architecture, considering the E.1027 Maison en Bord de Meras a prototype for theortical and technical features. E.1027 Maison en Bord de Mer is a small villa built by Eileen Gray and Jean Badovici between 1926 and 1929 in Roquebrune Cap-Martin, France. Later on, the original project was modified because of successive interventions, altering the spatial qualities until being eventually abandoned in 2008. As a consequence of these variations, a meticulous documentation of the building turns essential in order to undertake its restoration. For that purpose, a description of the house and its historical evolution has been made, comparing plans of its different transformations and ending with a detailed survey of the current state. After presenting the particular pathologies of Cray's villa, the research concludes with the restoration proposal for E.1027 itself

El "Anclaje y Ajuste", una herramienta de Marketing para analizar el poder de las referencias en el Arte, el Dise��o y la Arquitectura = "Anchoring and Adjustment", a Marketing tool to analyse references in Art, Design and Architecture

El "Anclaje y Ajuste", una herramienta de Marketing para analizar el poder de las referencias en el Arte, el Dise��o y la Arquitectura = "Anchoring and Adjustment", a Marketing tool to analyse references in Art, Design and Architecture

Study and analysis of the Leap Motion sensor and the Software Development Kit (SDK) for the implementation of visual Human Computer Interfaces

En este proyecto, se presenta un informe t��cnico sobre la c��mara Leap Motion y el Software Development Kit correspondiente, el cual es un dispositivo con una c��mara de profundidad orientada a interfaces hombre-m��quina. Esto es realizado con el prop��sito de desarrollar una interfaz hombre-m��quina basada en un sistema de reconocimiento de gestos de manos. Despu��s de un exhaustivo estudio de la c��mara Leap Motion, se han realizado diversos programas de ejemplo con la intenci��n de verificar las capacidades descritas en el informe t��cnico, poniendo a prueba la Application Programming Interface y evaluando la precisi��n de las diferentes medidas obtenidas sobre los datos de la c��mara. Finalmente, se desarrolla un prototipo de un sistema de reconocimiento de gestos. Los datos sobre la posici��n y orientaci��n de la punta de los dedos obtenidos de la Leap Motion son usados para describir un gesto mediante un vector descriptor, el cual es enviado a una M��quina Vectores Soporte, utilizada como clasificador multi-clase.

Estudio y an��lisis para la elaboraci��n de un modelo de certificado de calidad cineg��tica en Espa��a = Study and analysis for the development of a model of hunting quality certificate in Spain

Con esta tesis doctoral se pretende elaborar un modelo de Certificado de Calidad Cineg��tica independiente, de adhesi��n voluntaria y aplicable a todo tipo de espacios cineg��ticos, de forma que posteriormente pueda convertirse en una metodolog��a que sea empleada como instrumento v��lido de medici��n de la Calidad Cineg��tica y normalizada a trav��s de una familia de Normas aprobadas por un organismo de normalizaci��n reconocido a nivel nacional o internacional. En primer lugar, se procedi�� a la realizaci��n de un riguroso y exhaustivo estudio de justificaci��n siguiendo la metodolog��a propuesta por la Norma UNE 66172:2003 IN, Directrices para la justificaci��n y desarrollo de sistemas de gesti��n (equivalente a la Norma Internacional GUIA ISO/IEC 72:2001). A continuaci��n, se procedi�� a la identificaci��n y desarrollo de los par��metros de Ordenaci��n Cineg��tica comunes a cualquier espacio cineg��tico en Espa��a y a la conceptualizaci��n de la Calidad Cineg��tica. Finalmente, se desarroll�� un modelo estructurado en nueve Criterios y treinta y cuatro Indicadores de Calidad Cineg��tica, y un proyecto de familia de Normas para la Certificaci��n de la Calidad Cineg��tica. ABSTRACT This doctoral thesis aims to produce a model of Hunting Quality Certificate independent, of voluntary adherence and applicable to all types of hunting areas, so that later it can become a methodology to be used as a valid instrument for measuring Hunting Quality and standardized through a family of standards approved by an organization of standardization recognized at a national or an international level. First, we proceeded to carry out a rigorous and comprehensive justification study following the methodology proposed by the UNE 66172: 2003 IN, Guidelines for the justification and development of management systems standards (equivalent to the International Standard GUIA ISO / IEC 72: 2001). Then, we proceeded to the identification and development of Hunting Management parameters common to any hunting area in Spain and the conceptualization of Hunting Quality. Finally, a model structured into nine Criteria and thirty-four Indicators of Hunting Quality and a draft of a family of standards for Hunting Quality Certification were developed.

Spectral study and classification of worldwide locations considering several multijunction solar cell technologies

Multi-junction solar cells are widely used in high-concentration photovoltaic systems (HCPV) attaining the highest efficiencies in photovoltaic energy generation. This technology is more dependent on the spectral variations of the impinging Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI) than conventional photovoltaics based on silicon solar cells and consequently demands a deeper knowledge of the solar resource characteristics. This article explores the capabilities of spectral indexes, namely, spectral matching ratios (SMR), to spectrally characterize the annual irradiation reaching a particular location on the Earth and to provide the necessary information for the spectral optimization of a MJ solar cell in that location as a starting point for CPV module spectral tuning. Additionally, the relationship between such indexes and the atmosphere parameters, such as the aerosol optical depth (AOD), precipitable water (PW), and air mass (AM), is discussed using radiative transfer models such as SMARTS to generate the spectrally-resolved DNI. The network of ground-based sun and sky-scanning radiometers AERONET (AErosol RObotic NETwork) is exploited to obtain the atmosphere parameters for a selected bunch of 34 sites worldwide. Finally, the SMR indexes are obtained for every location, and a comparative analysis is carried out for four architectures of triple junction solar cells, covering both lattice match and metamorphic technologies. The differences found among cell technologies are much less significant than among locations.