A procedure to track vibration modes under changing external factors: application to a pedestrian bridge

A low-cost vibration monitoring system has been developed and installed on an urban steel- plated stress-ribbon footbridge. The system continuously measures: the acceleration (using 18 triaxial MEMS accelerometers distributed along the structure), the ambient temperature and the wind velocity and direction. Automated output-only modal parameter estimation based on the Stochastic Subspace Identification (SSI) is carried out in order to extract the modal parameters, i.e., the natural frequencies, damping ratios and modal shapes. Thus, this paper analyzes the time evolution of the modal parameters over a whole-year data monitoring. Firstly, for similar environmental/operational factors, the uncertainties associated to the time window size used are studied and quantified. Secondly, a methodology to track the vibration modes has been established since several of them with closely-spaced natural frequencies are identified. Thirdly, the modal parameters have been correlated against external factors. It has been shown that this stress-ribbon structure is highly sensitive to temperature variation (frequency changes of more than 20%) with strongly seasonal and daily trends

Digital image processing techniques as a tool for evaluating and mapping patinas on granite monuments

Monument conservation is related to the interaction between the original petrological parameters of the rock and external factors in the area where the building is sited, such as weather conditions, pollution, and so on. Depending on the environmental conditions and the characteristics of the materials used, different types of weathering predominate. In all, the appearance of surface crusts constitutes a first stage, whose origin can often be traced to the properties of the material itself. In the present study, different colours of “patinas” were distinguished by defining the threshold levels of greys associated with “pathology” in the histogram. These data were compared to background information and other parameters, such as mineralogical composition, porosity, and so on, as well as other visual signs of deterioration. The result is a map of the pathologies associated with “cover films” on monuments, which generate images by relating colour characteristics to desired properties or zones of interest.

Viscoelastic vibration damping identification methods. Application to laminated glass.

Laminatedglass is composed of two glass layers and a thin intermediate PVB layer, strongly influencing PVB's viscoelastic behaviour its dynamic response. While natural frequencies are relatively easily identified even with simplified FE models, damping ratios are not identified with such an ease. In order to determine to what extent external factors influence dampingidentification, different tests have been carried out. The external factors considered, apart from temperature, are accelerometers, connection cables and the effect of the glass layers. To analyse the influence of the accelerometers and their connection cables a laser measuring device was employed considering three possibilities: sample without instrumentation, sample with the accelerometers fixed and sample completely instrumented. When the sample is completely instrumented, accelerometer readings are also analysed. To take into consideration the effect of the glass layers, tests were realised both for laminatedglass and monolithic samples. This paper presents in depth data analysis of the different configurations and establishes criteria for data acquisition when testing laminatedglass.

Modelado de sistemas multimedia para personalización y recomendación híbrida a partir del consumo audiovisual de los usuarios

This doctoral thesis focuses on the modeling of multimedia systems to create personalized recommendation services based on the analysis of users’ audiovisual consumption. Research is focused on the characterization of both users’ audiovisual consumption and content, specifically images and video. This double characterization converges into a hybrid recommendation algorithm, adapted to different application scenarios covering different specificities and constraints. Hybrid recommendation systems use both content and user information as input data, applying the knowledge from the analysis of these data as the initial step to feed the algorithms in order to generate personalized recommendations. Regarding the user information, this doctoral thesis focuses on the analysis of audiovisual consumption to infer implicitly acquired preferences. The inference process is based on a new probabilistic model proposed in the text. This model takes into account qualitative and quantitative consumption factors on the one hand, and external factors such as zapping factor or company factor on the other. As for content information, this research focuses on the modeling of descriptors and aesthetic characteristics, which influence the user and are thus useful for the recommendation system. Similarly, the automatic extraction of these descriptors from the audiovisual piece without excessive computational cost has been considered a priority, in order to ensure applicability to different real scenarios. Finally, a new content-based recommendation algorithm has been created from the previously acquired information, i.e. user preferences and content descriptors. This algorithm has been hybridized with a collaborative filtering algorithm obtained from the current state of the art, so as to compare the efficiency of this hybrid recommender with the individual techniques of recommendation (different hybridization techniques of the state of the art have been studied for suitability). The content-based recommendation focuses on the influence of the aesthetic characteristics on the users. The heterogeneity of the possible users of these kinds of systems calls for the use of different criteria and attributes to create effective recommendations. Therefore, the proposed algorithm is adaptable to different perceptions producing a dynamic representation of preferences to obtain personalized recommendations for each user of the system. The hypotheses of this doctoral thesis have been validated by conducting a set of tests with real users, or by querying a database containing user preferences - available to the scientific community. This thesis is structured based on the different research and validation methodologies of the techniques involved. In the three central chapters the state of the art is studied and the developed algorithms and models are validated via self-designed tests. It should be noted that some of these tests are incremental and confirm the validation of previously discussed techniques. Resumen Esta tesis doctoral se centra en el modelado de sistemas multimedia para la creación de servicios personalizados de recomendación a partir del análisis de la actividad de consumo audiovisual de los usuarios. La investigación se focaliza en la caracterización tanto del consumo audiovisual del usuario como de la naturaleza de los contenidos, concretamente imágenes y vídeos. Esta doble caracterización de usuarios y contenidos confluye en un algoritmo de recomendación híbrido que se adapta a distintos escenarios de aplicación, cada uno de ellos con distintas peculiaridades y restricciones. Todo sistema de recomendación híbrido toma como datos de partida tanto información del usuario como del contenido, y utiliza este conocimiento como entrada para algoritmos que permiten generar recomendaciones personalizadas. Por la parte de la información del usuario, la tesis se centra en el análisis del consumo audiovisual para inferir preferencias que, por lo tanto, se adquieren de manera implícita. Para ello, se ha propuesto un nuevo modelo probabilístico que tiene en cuenta factores de consumo tanto cuantitativos como cualitativos, así como otros factores de contorno, como el factor de zapping o el factor de compañía, que condicionan la incertidumbre de la inferencia. En cuanto a la información del contenido, la investigación se ha centrado en la definición de descriptores de carácter estético y morfológico que resultan influyentes en el usuario y que, por lo tanto, son útiles para la recomendación. Del mismo modo, se ha considerado una prioridad que estos descriptores se puedan extraer automáticamente de un contenido sin exigir grandes requisitos computacionales y, de tal forma que se garantice la posibilidad de aplicación a escenarios reales de diverso tipo. Por último, explotando la información de preferencias del usuario y de descripción de los contenidos ya obtenida, se ha creado un nuevo algoritmo de recomendación basado en contenido. Este algoritmo se cruza con un algoritmo de filtrado colaborativo de referencia en el estado del arte, de tal manera que se compara la eficiencia de este recomendador híbrido (donde se ha investigado la idoneidad de las diferentes técnicas de hibridación del estado del arte) con cada una de las técnicas individuales de recomendación. El algoritmo de recomendación basado en contenido que se ha creado se centra en las posibilidades de la influencia de factores estéticos en los usuarios, teniendo en cuenta que la heterogeneidad del conjunto de usuarios provoca que los criterios y atributos que condicionan las preferencias de cada individuo sean diferentes. Por lo tanto, el algoritmo se adapta a las diferentes percepciones y articula una metodología dinámica de representación de las preferencias que permite obtener recomendaciones personalizadas, únicas para cada usuario del sistema. Todas las hipótesis de la tesis han sido debidamente validadas mediante la realización de pruebas con usuarios reales o con bases de datos de preferencias de usuarios que están a disposición de la comunidad científica. La diferente metodología de investigación y validación de cada una de las técnicas abordadas condiciona la estructura de la tesis, de tal manera que los tres capítulos centrales se estructuran sobre su propio estudio del estado del arte y los algoritmos y modelos desarrollados se validan mediante pruebas autónomas, sin impedir que, en algún caso, las pruebas sean incrementales y ratifiquen la validación de técnicas expuestas anteriormente.

Identifying the core competence as a key requirement for business model innovation. The case of Airlines as a service industry

Core competencies form the basis of an organization’s skills and the basic element of a successful strategic execution. Identifying and strengthening the core competencies enhances flexibility thereby strategically positioning a firm for responding to competition in the dynamic marketplace and can be the difference in quality among firms that follow the same business model. A correct understanding of the concept of business models, employing the right core competencies, organizing them effectively and building the business model around the competencies that are constantly gained and assimilated can result in enhanced business performance and thus having implications for firms that want to innovate their business models. Flexibility can be the firm’s agility to shift focus in response to external factors such as changing markets, new technologies or competition and a firm’s success can be gauged by the ability it displays in this transition. Although industry transformations generally emanate from technological changes, recent examples suggests they may also be due to the introduction of new business models and nowhere is it more relevant than in the airline industry. An analysis of the business model flexibility of 17 Airlines from Asia, Europe and Oceania, that is done with core competence as the indicator reveals a picture of inconsistencies in the core competence strategy of certain airlines and the corresponding reduction in business performance. The performance variations are explained from a service oriented core competence strategy employed by airlines that ultimately enables them in having a flexible business model that not only increases business performance but also helps in reducing the uncertainties in the internal and external operating environments. This is more relevant in the case of airline industry, as the product (the air transportation of passengers) minus the service competence is all the same.

La rehabilitación de construcciones militares para uso hotelero: la red de Paradores de Turismo, (1928-2012)

Fundamento de la tesis: Al comienzo del siglo XX, el interés por el turismo unido a la necesidad de restaurar un abundante patrimonio histórico, posibilitó en España que los poderes públicos se embarcaran en una singular experiencia: la creación de una infraestructura hotelera a partir de la rehabilitación de edificios históricos. La preservación, mantenimiento e incluso rentabilidad de una gran parte del patrimonio español se haría efectiva a través de la innovadora fórmula patrimonio‐turismo, cuya máxima expresión se materializó en la Red de Paradores desde su fundación en la segunda década del siglo pasado hasta nuestros días. Sorprendentemente, este tema no ha sido todavía investigado en su vertiente arquitectónica pese a que España ha sido pionera y modelo en la cuestión de la hotelería pública. Este trabajo aborda el estudio del caso más significativo de todos los edificios de la red, en tanto que el patrimonio que ha servido de base a los fines hoteleros del Estado ha contado con un total de seis tipos arquitectónicos a lo largo de su historia, dentro de los cuales la arquitectura militar despunta con su mayoritaria presencia dentro del contexto de los edificios históricos de la red. El carácter arquetípico de los castillos y fortalezas, arraigado en el inconsciente colectivo, les hizo especialmente atractivos como alojamiento turístico al permitir evocar la remota época medieval, pese a ser el tipo arquitectónico más comprometido para la rehabilitación hotelera. El estudio de las intervenciones operadas en estos inmuebles se revela de forma clara como escaparate de los distintos criterios de intervención patrimonial que se han sucedido en el siglo XX, hasta enlazar con la perspectiva interdisciplinar actual. La tesis abarca en, primer lugar, diferentes aspectos generales relativos al promotor hotelero, la hotelería pública de ámbito nacional e internacional, y la caracterización de los inmuebles de la red estatal española, desde el punto de vista hotelero y arquitectónico, entendida esta última en sus tres escalas de influencia: la arquitectónica, la urbana o paisajística, y la del interiorismo. Se analiza en segundo término la arquitectura militar dentro del contexto de la Red de Paradores, desde la consideración de su transformación hotelera, para lo cual ha sido necesario realizar una clasificación propia, que abarca tanto edificios que respondieron a una estructura de cuartel, como castillos‐palacio, o fortalezas que habían servido a los fines de una orden religiosa militar, además de considerarse las intervenciones en recintos históricos de carácter militar, donde se hacía obligatorio construir de nueva planta. En tercer y último lugar, se analiza a lo largo de las distintas etapas del organismo turístico las rehabilitaciones realizadas en estas construcciones militares, a la vez que se tienen en cuenta las intervenciones en los restantes edificios históricos, para evitar la descontextualización. Este recorrido comienza con la promoción de los dos primeros paradores a cargo del Comisario Regio, el marqués de la Vega‐Inclán, que sirvieron para sentar las bases de los conceptos e ideas que habrían de desarrollarse en las siguientes décadas. Posteriormente, se desarrolló y tomó forma la red con el Patronato Nacional del Turismo, en la que las primeras intervenciones en tipos militares se tradujeron en reformas interiores de locales. La etapa clave de la red, y en particular de la arquitectura militar, tuvo lugar con el Ministerio de Información y Turismo, marcada por la “repristinación” de monumentos, tras un período preparatorio con la Dirección General del Turismo en el que lo militar había quedado de telón de fondo de otros tipos arquitectónicos. Tras el auge del Ministerio llegó el período de decadencia en el que los castillos y fortalezas desaparecieron de los intereses de las Secretarias de Turismo, hasta llegar a las inauguraciones de los novedosos establecimientos del siglo XXI y el resurgimiento del tipo militar con el parador de Lorca. Metodología empleada: Este trabajo de investigación se ha servido fundamentalmente de documentación inédita, procedente de diversos archivos, además de una muy extensa toma de datos in situ. Dentro del patrimonio analizado, los inmuebles que responden al tipo arquitectónico militar se han dividido en tres grandes grupos: inmuebles rehabilitados que entraron en funcionamiento en la red, inmuebles en proceso de transformación hotelera, e inmuebles que fueron adquiridos con fines hoteleros pero que no llegaron a rehabilitarse. Para cada uno de ellos ha sido necesario determinar en qué estado llegaron a manos de la Administración Turística, cuál fue el mecanismo a través del cual se adquirieron, en qué consistió su primera rehabilitación hotelera, y cuáles fueron las ampliaciones o reformas más significativas que se realizaron posteriormente. Estos datos se han sintetizado en fichas y se han extraído conclusiones al comparar cada unidad con el conjunto. Simultáneamente se introdujeron dos factores externos: la historia del turismo que permitió hacer una ordenación cronológica de los inmuebles según etapas, y la historia de la teoría y práctica de la intervención patrimonial en España que permitió comparar los criterios patrimoniales de la Administración competente respecto de las intervenciones de la Administración Turística, cuyo contacto se haría obligatorio a partir del Decreto, de 22 de abril de 1949, que dejaba bajo la tutela del Estado a todos los castillos y fortalezas. Aportación de la tesis: Con carácter general, la tesis centra una ordenación y sistematización completa del patrimonio inmobiliario de la red, desde el punto de vista de los tipos hoteleros y arquitectónicos, además de poner por primera vez en conexión distintos modelos de hotelería pública, para constituirse en el sustrato de futuras investigaciones. El estudio realizado se ha hecho extensivo a las distintas escalas que inciden de forma interconectada en la implantación de un parador: la arquitectónica, la urbana y la del interiorismo, hasta ahora referenciado desde la exclusiva visión arquitectónica. Se han definido las etapas de la historia de la red, no ya sólo a partir del hilo conductor de la cadena sucesiva de organismos turísticos, sino que por primera vez se hace en razón de la evolución que sufren las intervenciones patrimoniales a lo largo del tiempo, a la vez que se entra en conexión con la teoría y praxis de la restauración monumental. Con carácter particular, la arquitectura militar dentro del contexto de los paradores se destaca en el período del Ministerio, en el que se experimentaron todas las posibilidades que presentaba su rehabilitación. En este sentido se ha puesto de manifiesto en este trabajo un tipo híbrido de parador, a caballo entre la rehabilitación y la edificación de nueva planta, las dos formas básicas de establecimiento creadas en la Comisaría Regia, al que se ha denominado edificación de nueva planta en recinto histórico militar. Esta nueva caracterización se ha valorado como la forma más eficiente de implantar paradores, cuyas pautas arquitectónicas abarcaron un abanico de posibilidades: imitación de modelos arquitectónicos históricos con utilización de elementos patrimoniales prestados que dieran el valor de la historia, utilización de un lenguaje moderno, o la inspiración en la arquitectura vernácula. La amalgama de elementos, estilos e intervenciones sucesivas de ampliación fue la característica común tanto para la implantación de un parador en un edificio como en un recinto amurallado. La arquitectura militar transformada en establecimiento hotelero evidencia la vocación escenográfica de las intervenciones patrimoniales, secundada por el interiorismo, además de su aportación a la arquitectura hotelera en lo referente al confort, organización y funcionamiento de sus instalaciones. La tesis ahonda en los diversos aspectos de la rehabilitación hotelera apuntados de forma parcial por algunos autores, y pone de manifiesto la “ambientación medieval” operada en la arquitectura militar, que llegó a tener su máxima expresión con el criterio de la “unidad de estilo” del Ministerio de Información y Turismo. La rehabilitación hotelera dentro del contexto de la Red de Paradores, queda caracterizada en la tesis en relación a intervenciones en construcciones militares, cuya sistematización puede ser extrapolable a otros tipos arquitectónicos o cadenas hoteleras de titularidad pública, a partir del estudio que se ha avanzado en este trabajo. Thesis basis: At the beginning of the 20th century the interest in tourism added to the plentiful heritage in Spain enabled the authorities to embark on a singular experience: the creation of a hotel infrastructure from the restoration of historic buildings. Preservation, maintenance, and even profitability of a large part of the Spanish heritage would be effective through the innovative formula heritage-tourism. Its greatest expression materialized in the Paradores Network since its foundation in last century’s second decade to the present day. Surprisingly, this subject has not yet been investigated in its architectural aspect, even though Spain has been a pioneer and a model in the matter of public hotel business. This project tackles the study of the most significative case of all the network’s buildings, since the heritage which has served throughout history as a base for the State hotel purposes has altogether six architectural types, among which military architecture stands out with its majority presence in the context of the historical buildings of the network. The archetypal character of castles and fortresses, ingrained in the collective subconscious, made them specially attractive for tourist accommodation, as it allowed the evocation of far medieval times, despite being the most awkward architectural type for hotel restoration. The study of the interventions in these buildings clearly reveals itself as a showcase of the different criteria of heritage intervention along the 20th century, connecting to the present interdisciplinary perspective. Firstly, the thesis covers different general aspects regarding the hotel developer, the domestic and international public hotel business, and the description of the Spanish state network buildings from a hotel business and an architectural point of view, the latter from its three influence scales: architectural, urban or landscape, and interior design. Secondly, the transformation of the military architecture in the Paradores Network into hotels is analyzed. For that purpose it was necessary to create a specific classification, which included barrack-structured buildings, castle-palaces, or fortresses which served the purposes of military-religious orders. The interventions in those military historical places where new building became compulsory were also taken into consideration. Thirdly and lastly, the thesis analyses the restorations in these military constructions through the different stages of the tourist organization. In order to avoid decontextualization, interventions in other historical buildings were also considered. This route begins with the promotion of the two first Paradores by the Royal Commissioner, the marquis of Vega-Inclán, which paved the way for the concepts and ideas that were developed in the following decades. Subsequently, the network was developed and took shape with the National Tourism Board. The first interventions on military types were inside refurbishments. The Network’s key period, and in particular of its military architecture, took place with the Ministry of Information and Tourism, a time marked by the “restoration to its original state” of monuments. This stage arrived after a preparatory period with the State Tourist Office, when the military type was left as a backdrop for other architectural types. After the Ministry’s boom arrived a decline, in which castles and fortresses disappeared from the Tourist Department’s interests up to the opening of the 21st century new establishments and the resurgence of the military type with Lorca’s Parador. Methodology: The present research project has mainly used unpublished documentation from several archives and has done an extensive in situ data-gathering. Within the heritage analyzed, military buildings have been divided into three main groups: restored buildings that began to operate in the network, those in process of hotel transformation, and those acquired for hotel purposes, but which did not become restored. In each case, it has been necessary to determine the condition in which they arrived to the Tourist Administration, the procedure by which they were acquired, what their first hotel restoration consisted of, and which their subsequent most significative enlargements and alterations were. These facts have been synthesized in cards, and conclusions were drawn by comparing each unit with the whole. Simultaneously, two external factors were introduced: the history of tourism, that allowed establishing a chronological order according to different periods, and the history of Spanish heritage intervention’s theory and practice, that permitted to compare the heritage criteria from the competent Administration with those of the Tourist Administration’s interventions. Both Administrations came compulsorily into contact after the Decree of 22nd April 1949, by which all castles and fortresses became under the protection of the State. Thesis contribution: In general, the thesis focuses on a complete order and systematization of the network’s heritage buildings from the hotel and architectural types points of view, besides connecting for the first time different public hotel business models, becoming the substratum for future investigations. The study has included the different scales that impact interconnected on the establishment of a Parador: architectural, urban and interior design, only referenced to date from an architectural point of view. The Network’s history stages have been defined according to not only a consecutive series of tourist organizations, but also, and for the first time, to the evolution of heritage interventions over time, thus connecting with the theory and praxis of monumental restoration. In particular, within the Paradores, military architecture stands out in the Ministry’s period, in which all kind of restoration possibilities were explored. In this sense, the present project puts forth a hybrid type of Parador between restoration and new building, the two basic ways of establishment created in the Royal Commission, termed new building in military historic enclosure. This new characterization has been evaluated as the most efficient for establishing Paradores, whose architectonic guidelines include a wide range of possibilities: the imitation of historical architectonic models with use of borrowed heritage components that provide historical value, the use of modern language, or the inspiration in vernacular architecture. The amalgam of elements, styles and consecutive enlargement interventions was the common feature of the establishment of a Parador, both in a building or in a walled enclosure. The military architecture transformed into a hotel establishment gives proof of the scenographic vocation of heritage interventions, supported by interior design, as well as of its contribution to hotel architecture, related to its comfort, organization and the functioning of its facilities. The thesis delves into the diverse aspects of hotel restoration, partially pointed out by several authors, and puts forth the creation of a “medieval atmosphere” in military architecture, which came to its highest expression with the “unitary style” criteria of the Ministry of Information and Tourism. Hotel restoration within the context of the Paradores’ Network is defined in this thesis in relation to interventions in military constructions, whose systemization can be extrapolative to other architectural types or public hotel chains, based on the study which has been put forward in this project.

Diseño y aplicación de una metodología prospectiva para la determinación de los condicionantes futuros del crecimiento de los grandes buques portacontenedores

Durante las últimas décadas se observa una tendencia sostenida al crecimiento en las dimensiones de los grandes buques portacontenedores, que produce, que las infraestructuras portuarias y otras destinadas al tráfico de contenedores deban adaptarse para poder brindar los servicios correspondientes y mantenerse competitivas con otras para no perder el mercado. Esta situación implica importantes inversiones y modificaciones en los sistemas de transporte de contenedores por el gran volumen de carga que se debe mover en un corto periodo de tiempo, lo que genera la necesidad de tomar previsiones relacionadas con la probable evolución a futuro de las dimensiones que alcanzarán los grandes buques portacontenedores. En relación a los aspectos citados surge la inquietud de determinar los condicionantes futuros del crecimiento de los grandes buques portacontenedores, con una visión totalizadora de todos los factores que incidirán en los próximos años, ya sea como un freno o un impulso a la tendencia que se verifica en el pasado y en el presente. En consideración a que el tema a tratar y resolver se encuentra en el futuro, con un horizonte de predicción de veinte años, se diseña y se aplica una metodología prospectiva, que permite alcanzar conclusiones con mayor grado de objetividad sobre probables escenarios futuros. La metodología prospectiva diseñada, conjuga distintas herramientas metodológicas, cualitativas, semi-cuantitativas y cuantitativas que se validan entre sí. Sobre la base del pasado y el presente, las herramientas cuantitativas permiten encontrar relaciones entre variables y hacer proyecciones, sin embargo, estas metodologías pierden validez más allá de los tres a cuatro años, por los vertiginosos y dinámicos cambios que se producen actualmente, en las áreas política, social y económica. Las metodologías semi-cuantitativas y cualitativas, empleadas en forma conjunta e integradas, permiten el análisis de circunstancias del pasado y del presente, obteniendo resultados cuantitativos que se pueden proyectar hacia un futuro cercano, los que integrados en estudios cualitativos proporcionan resultados a largo plazo, facilitando considerar variables cualitativas como la creciente preocupación por la preservación del medio ambiente y la piratería. La presente tesis, tiene como objetivo principal “identificar los condicionantes futuros del crecimiento de los grandes buques portacontenedores y determinar sus escenarios”. Para lo cual, la misma se estructura en fases consecutivas y que se retroalimentan continuamente. Las tres primeras fases son un enfoque sobre el pasado y el presente, que establece el problema a resolver. Se estudian los antecedentes y el estado del conocimiento en relación a los factores y circunstancias que motivaron y facilitaron la tendencia al crecimiento de los grandes buques. También se estudia el estado del conocimiento de las metodologías para predecir el futuro y se diseña de una metodología prospectiva. La cuarta fase, denominada Resultados, se desarrolla en distintas etapas, fundamentadas en las fases anteriores, con el fin de resolver el problema dando respuestas a las preguntas que se formularon para alcanzar el objetivo fijado. En el proceso de esta fase, con el objeto de predecir probables futuros, se aplica la metodología prospectiva diseñada, que contempla el análisis del pasado y el presente, que determina los factores cuya influencia provocó el crecimiento en dimensiones de los grandes buques hasta la actualidad, y que constituye la base para emplear los métodos prospectivos que permiten determinar qué factores condicionarán en el futuro la evolución de los grandes buques. El probable escenario futuro formado por los factores determinados por el criterio experto, es validado mediante un modelo cuantitativo dinámico, que además de obtener el probable escenario futuro basado en las tendencias de comportamiento hasta el presente de los factores determinantes considerados, permite estudiar distintos probables escenarios futuros en función de considerar un cambio en la tendencia futura de los factores determinantes. El análisis del pasado indica que la tendencia al crecimiento de los grandes buques portacontenedores hasta el presente, se ha motivado por un crecimiento económico mundial que se tradujo en un aumento del comercio internacional, particularmente entre los países de Asia, con Europa y Estados Unidos. Esta tendencia se ha visto favorecida por el factor globalización y la acelerada evolución tecnológica que ha permitido superar los obstáculos que se presentaron. Es de destacar que aún en periodos de crisis económicas, con pronósticos de contracciones en el comercio, en los últimos años continuó la tendencia al crecimiento en dimensiones, en busca de una economía de escala para el transporte marítimo de contenedores, en las rutas transoceánicas. La investigación de la evolución de los grandes buques portacontenedores en el futuro, se efectúa mediante el empleo de una metodología prospectiva en la que el criterio experto se valida con un método cuantitativo dinámico, y además se fundamenta en una solida base pre-prospectiva. La metodología diseñada permite evaluar con un alto grado de objetividad cuales serán los condicionantes que incidirán en el crecimiento en tamaño de los grandes buques portacontenedores en el escenario con mayor probabilidad de acontecer en los próximos veinte años (2032), y también en otros escenarios que podrían presentarse en el caso de que los factores modifiquen su tendencia o bien se produzcan hechos aleatorios. El resultado se sintetiza en que la tendencia al crecimiento de los grandes buques portacontenedores en los próximos 20 años se verá condicionada por factores en relación a los conceptos de oferta (los que facilitan u obstaculizan la tendencia), demanda (los que motivan o impulsan la tendencia) y factores externos (los que desestabilizan el equilibrio entre oferta y demanda). La tendencia al crecimiento de los grandes buques portacontenedores se verá obstaculizada / limitada principalmente por factores relacionados a las infraestructuras, resultando los pasos y/o canales vinculados a las rutas marítimas, los limitantes futuros al crecimiento en dimensiones de los grandes buques portacontenedores; y la interacción buque / infraestructura (grúas) un factor que tenderá a obstaculizar esta tendencia de los grandes portacontenedores. El desarrollo económico mundial que estimula el comercio internacional y los factores precio del petróleo y condicionantes medioambientales impulsarán la tendencia al crecimiento de los grandes buques portacontenedores. Recent years have seen a sustained tendency towards the growth in the dimensions of large container ships. This has meant that port and other infrastructure used for container traffic has had to be adapted in order to provide the required services and to maintain a competitive position, so as not to lose market share. This situation implies the need for major investments in modifications to the container transport system, on account of the large volume of traffic to be handled in a short period of time. This in turn has generated a need to make provision for the probable future evolution of the ultimate dimensions that will be reached by large container ships. Such considerations give rise to the question of what are the future determinants for the growth of large container ships, requiring an overall vision of all the factors that will apply in future years, whether as a brake on or an incentive to the growth tendency which has been seen in the past and present In view of the fact that the theme to be dealt with and resolved relates to the future, with a forecasting horizon of some 20 years, a foresight methodology has been designed and applied so as to enable conclusions about probable future scenarios to be reached with a greater degree of objectivity. The designed methodology contains different methodological tools, both qualitative, semi-quantitative and quantitative, which are internally consistent. On the basis of past and present observations, the quantitative elements enable relationships to be established and forecasts to be made. Nevertheless such an approach loses validity more than three or four years into the future, on account of the very rapid and dynamic changes which may be seen at present in political, social and economic spheres. The semi-quantitative and qualitative methodologies are used coherently together and allow the analysis of past and present conditions, thus obtaining quantitative results which for short-term projections, which when integrated with the qualitative studies provide results for the long-term, facilitating the consideration of qualitative variables such as the increasing importance of environmental protection and the impact of piracy. The principal objective of the present thesis is "to identify the future conditions affecting the growth of large container ships and to determine possible scenarios". The thesis is structured in consecutive and related phases. The first three phases focus on the past and present in order to determine the problem to be resolved. The background is studied in order to establish the state of knowledge about the factors and circumstances which have motivated and facilitated the growth tendency for large container ships and the methodologies that have been used. In this way a specific foresight methodology is designed. The fourth phase, Results, is developed in distinct stages based on the previous phases, so as to resolve the problem posed and responding to the questions that arise. In this way the determined objective is reached. The fourth phase sees the application of the methodology that has been designed in order to predict posible futures. This includes analysis of the past and present factors which have caused the growth in the dimensions of large container ships up to the present. These provide the basis on which to apply the foresight methods which enable the future factors which will condition the development of such large container ships. The probable future scenarios are made up of the factors identified by expert judgement (using the Delphi technique) and validated by means of a dynamic quantitative model. This model both identifies the probable future scenarios based on past and present factors and enables the different future scenarios to be analysed as a function of future changes in the conditioning factors. Analysis of the past shows that the growth tendency up to the present for large container ships has been motivated by the growth of the world economy and the consequent increased international trade, especially between the countries of Asia with Europe and the United States. This tendency has been favoured by the trend towards globalization and by the rapid technical evolution in ship design, which has allowed the obstacles encountered to be overcome. It should be noted that even in periods of economic crisis, with an expectation for reduced trade, as experienced in recent years, the tendency towards increased ship dimensions has continued in search of economies of scale for the maritime transport of containers on transoceanic routes. The present investigation of the future evolution of large container ships has been done using a foresight methodology in which the expert judgement is validated by a dynamic quantitative methodology, founded on a firm pre-foresight analysis. The methodology that has been designed permits the evaluation, with a high degree of objectivity, of the future factors that will affect the growth of large container ships for the most probable scenario expected in the next 20 years (up to 2032). The evaluation applies also to other scenarios which may arise, in the event that their component factors are modified or indeed in the light of random events. In summary, the conclusión is that the tendency for growth in large container ships in the future 20 years will be determined by: factors related to supply, which slow or halt the tendency; factors related to demand, which encourage the tendency and finally, external factors which interrupt the equilibrium between supply and demand. The tendency for increasing growth in large container ships will be limited or even halted by factors related to infrastructure, including the natural and man-made straits and canals used by maritime transport. In addition the infrastructure required to serve such vessels both in port (including cranes and other equipment) and related transport, will tend to slow the growth tendency. The factors which will continue to encourage the tendency towards the growth of large container ships include world economic development, which stimulates international trade, and an increasing emphasis on environmental aspects.

Tomatoes for processing in the 90's: Postharvest handling.

Processing tomato industry has a high potential in Spain. Variety testing and mechanization studies and applications have been performed during the last 15 years. Many factors affect the quality and product losses during post-harvest handling which may be classified as: main or external factors: those related to the systems, procedures and devices; and fruit factors: those related to fruit properties. A research project is being carried on in the area of Vegas del Guadiana (Badajoz, Spain) to study these factors and to estimate costs, and to develop improved post-harvest handling practices.

System supporting public transport based on geolocation

El propósito de este proyecto de fin de Grado es el estudio y desarrollo de una aplicación basada en Android que proporcionará soporte y atención a los servicios de transporte público existentes en Cracovia, Polonia. La principal funcionalidad del sistema será consultar la posición de un determinado autobús o tranvía y mostrar su ubicación con exactitud. Para lograr esto, necesitaremos tres fases de desarrollo. En primer lugar, deberemos implementar un sistema que obtenga las coordenadas geográficas de los vehículos de transporte público en cada instante. A continuación, tendremos que registrar todos estos datos y almacenarlos en una base de datos en un servidor web. Por último, desarrollaremos un sistema cliente que realice consultas a tiempo real sobre estos datos almacenados, obteniendo la posición para una línea determinada y mostrando su ubicación con un marcador en el mapa. Para hacer el seguimiento de los vehículos, sería necesario tener acceso a una API pública que nos proporcionase la posición registrada por los GPS que integran cada uno de ellos. Como esta API no existe actualmente para los servicios de autobús, y para los tranvías es de uso meramente privado, desarrollaremos una segunda aplicación en Android que hará las funciones del lado servidor. En ella podremos elegir mediante una simple interfaz el número de línea y un código específico que identificará a cada vehículo en particular (e.g. podemos tener 6 tranvías recorriendo la red al mismo tiempo para la línea 24). Esta aplicación obtendrá las coordenadas geográficas del teléfono móvil, lo cual incluye latitud, longitud y orientación a través del proveedor GPS. De este modo, podremos realizar una simulación de como el sistema funcionará a tiempo real utilizando la aplicación servidora desde dentro de un tranvía o autobús y, al mismo tiempo, utilizando la aplicación cliente haciendo peticiones para mostrar la información de dicho tranvía. El cliente, además, podrá consultar la ruta de cualquier línea sin necesidad de tener acceso a Internet. Almacenaremos las rutas y paradas de cada línea en la memoria del teléfono móvil utilizando ficheros XML debido al poco espacio que ocupan y a lo útil que resulta poder consultar un trayecto en cualquier momento, independientemente del acceso a la red. El usuario también podrá consultar las tablas de horarios oficiales para cada línea. Aunque en este caso si será necesaria una conexión a Internet debido a que se realizará a través de la web oficial de MPK. Para almacenar todas las coordenadas de cada vehículo en cada instante necesitaremos crear una base de datos en un servidor. Esto se resolverá mediante el uso de MYSQL y PHP. Se enviarán peticiones de tipo GET y POST a los servicios PHP que se encargarán de traducir y realizar la consulta correspondiente a la base de datos MYSQL. Por último, gracias a todos los datos recogidos relativos a la posición de los vehículos de transporte público, podremos realizar algunas tareas de análisis. Comparando la hora exacta a la que los vehículos pasaron por cada parada y la hora a la que deberían haber pasado según los horarios oficiales, podremos descubrir fallos en estos. Seremos capaces de determinar si es un error puntual debido a factores externos (atascos, averías,…) o si por el contrario, es algo que ocurre muy a menudo y se debería corregir el horario oficial. ABSTRACT The aim of this final Project (for University) is to develop an Android application thatwill provide support and feedback to the public transport services in Krakow. The main functionality of the system will be to track the position of a desired bus or tram line, and display its position on the map. To achieve this, we will need 3 stages: the first one will be to implement a system that sends the geographical position of the public transport vehicles, the second one will be to collect this data in a web server, and the last one will be to get the last location registered for the desired line and display it on the map. For tracking the vehicles, we would need to have access to a public API that should be connected with each bus/tram GPS. As this doesn’t exist in Krakow or at least is not available for public use, we will develop a second android application that will do the server side job. We will be able to choose in a simple interface the line number and a code letter to identify each vehicle (e.g. we can have 6 trams that belong to the line number 24 working at the same time). It will take the current mobile geolocation; this includes getting latitude, longitude and bearing from the GPS provider. Thus, we will be able to make a simulation of how the system works in real time by using the server app inside a tram and at the same time, using the client app and making requests to display the information of that tram. The client will also be able to check the path of the desired line without internet access. We will store the path and stops for each line locally in the phone memory using xml files due to the few requirements of available space it needs and the usefulness of checking a path when needed. This app will also offer the functionality of checking the timetable for the line, but in this case, it will link to the official Mpk website, so Internet access will be required. For storing all the coordinates for each vehicle at every moment we will need to create a database on a server. We have decided that the easiest way is to use Mysql and PHP for the deployment of the service. We will send GET and POST requests to the php files and those files will make the according queries to our database. Finally, based on all the collected data, we will be able to get some information about errors in the system of public transport timetables. We will check at what time a line was in each specific stop and compare it with the official timetable to find mistakes of time. We will determine if it is something that happens occasionally and related to external factors (e.g. traffic jams, breakdowns…) or if on the other hand, it is something that happens very often and the public transport timetables should be looked over and corrected.

A water footprint assessment of a pair of jeans: the influence of agricultural policies on the sustainability of consumer products.

This study reports the results of a water footprint (WF) assessment of five types of textiles commonly used for the production of jeans, including two different fibres (cotton and Lyocell fibre) and five corresponding production methods for spinning, dyeing and weaving. The results show that the fibre production is the stage with the highest water consumption, being cotton production particularly relevant. Therefore, the study pays particular attention to the water footprint of cotton production and analyses the effects of external factors influencing the water footprint of a product, in this case, the incentives provided by the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), and the relevance of agricultural practices to the water footprint of a product is emphasised. An extensification of the crop production led to higher WF per unit, but a lower overall pressure on the basins water resources. This study performs a sustainability assessment of the estimated cotton WFs with the water scarcity index, as proposed by Hoekstra et al. (2011), and shows their variations in different years as a result of different water consumption by crops in the rest of the river basin. In our case, we applied the assessment to the Guadalquivir, Guadalete and Barbate river basins, three semi-arid rivers in South Spain. Because they are found to be relevant, the available water stored in dams and the outflow are also incorporated as reference points for the sustainability assessment. The study concludes that, in the case of Spanish cotton production, the situation of the basin and the policy impact are more relevant for the status of the basin s water resources than the actual WF of cotton production. Therefore, strategies aimed at reducing the impact of the water footprint of a product need to analyse both the WF along the value chain and within the local context.

CSR Policies: Effects on Labour Productivity in Spanish Micro and Small Manufacturing Companies

This paper analyses empirical evidence of efforts to enable Spanish micro and small manufacturing companies to boost their labour productivity rates through the development of the main pillars of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies. This study aims to develop new approaches and sensibilities towards work from an ethical, values (virtues) and CSR perspective, showing how internal dimensions of CSR, such those related to relationships with employees and responsibility in processes and product quality, can improve labour performance and labour efficiency, thereby contributing to a better society. The results of a sample of 929 small businesses indicate that the social responsibility policies that most contributed to a short-term increase in labour productivity are those related to internal aspects of the company, in particular its involvement in the quality of processes and products, promotion of innovation and employee care. However, the impact on labour productivity of CSR policies related to external factors, such as relationship with stakeholders and environmental concern, could not be empirically proven in this paper.

Med Capital Partners: plan de negocio de una EAFI

Med Capital Partners (MCP en adelante) es un empresa de asesoramiento financiero independiente (EAFI) que ofrecerá servicios de asesoramiento personalizado tanto a clientes particulares como a empresas, complementando su oferta con otros servicios auxiliares, que le permitan brindar a sus clientes una solución integral. MCP ha sido fundada por tres socios con formación y experiencia específica en el ámbito objeto del negocio, pero multidisciplinar para ofrecer un amplio espectro de servicios de calidad tanto en la Región de Murcia, donde va a establecer su sede, como en el resto de territorio nacional. MCP se crea con la firme misión de ofrecer servicios de asesoramiento y consulta financieros para la gestión y planificación patrimonial de calidad, de forma independiente y transparente y con la motivación de ser el médico de cabecera financiero de familias, particulares y empresas de todos los ámbitos, basándonos en arraigados valores entre los que predominan la transparencia, la independencia y la discreción. Una vez analizados los factores externos y haber realizado los planes de marketing, operaciones y financiero, nos encontramos en disposición de determinar que: 1.Existe un gran número de clientes potenciales. 2.Los factores político, social y legal favorecen la creación de este tipo de empresas. 3.Hay pocos competidores establecidos hasta la fecha. 4.No necesita complicadas infraestructuras ni requiere elevados gastos de aprovisionamiento. 5.Desde el año 2, se obtienen resultados positivos. La propuesta de valor de MCP está focalizada en ofrecer un servicio de calidad al menor precio posible, fijando una política de tarifas inferior a la media nacional y a la de nuestros competidores más cercanos, así como un esquema de precios descendentes para aquellos clientes que depositen su confianza en nosotros y renueven su contrato de asesoramiento continuado o contraten un combo de servicios. En términos operativos, el establecimiento de MCP requiere relativamente poco capital inicial, permitiendo ofrecer los primeros dividendos a los socios en un corto espacio temporal y teniendo desde el primer momento, un sueldo que les permita dedicarse plenamente al funcionamiento de MCP. En definitiva, creemos que MCP puede dar respuesta a una gran oportunidad de negocio existente en un sector en alza y en un mercado de arranque en el que hay una gran riqueza y poca cultura de inversión asesorada. ---ABSTRACT---Med Capital Partners (MCP) is an invest services company, which is established according to an EAFI structure. MCP will offer a custom-made service not only to individual clients but also to enterprises, with a wide range of supplementary services, including industrial strategy projects and all kind of financial processes demanded. MCP has been founded by three partners with proved training and specific experience based on the financial field but multitask and different between them, in order to offer various quality services in Región de Murcia, where it is going to be based, and also all around Spain. MCP is built with the firm mission of offering assessment and financial consulting quality services, helping with the patrimonial management and planning, doing it in an independent and transparent way, and always driving by the motivation of being the family doctor of individual and enterprise of sectors. To make it possible, MCP has deep values as excellence, wisdom and discretion. Once we have analyzed external factors and having made marketing, operations and financial plans, we are ready to determinate: 1.There is a big amount of potential customers. 2.Political, social and legal factors favor the formation of this type of business. 3.There are not many established competitors until now. 4.MCP does not need complex infrastructures either raised initial investment. 5.From year 2 and on, MCP is profitable. The value proposition of MCP is to focus on developing quality services with affordable fees, fixing a price policy under any other Spanish EAFI. MCP wants to build processes according to reality, working with reachable expectations and on real times. MCP is committed to the creation of stable, sustainable and consistent structures to adapt themselves to the individual risk profile of the customers, taking care of all of them. MCP wants to build a close relationship with clients and has developed a descending fee policy. MCP establishment does not require high initial resources and it is profitable in a short time, allowing investors to get their first dividends. Summarizing, we can say MCP is the answer of a big business opportunity within a rising and wealth market that only need a little help to emerge.

Irrigated agriculture: Water resources management for a sustainable environment

In the last decade, research on irrigation has mainly been aimed at reducing crop water consumption. In arid and semi-arid environments, in relation to the limited water resources, the use of low quality water in agriculture has also been investigated in order to detect their effects on soil physical properties and on crop production. More recently, even the reduction of energy consumption in agriculture, as well as the effects of external factors, climate change and agricultural policies, have been major research interests. All these objectives have been considered in the papers included in this special issue. However, in the last years, approaches aimed at reducing crop water requirements have significantly changed. Remote sensing with satellites or unmanned vehicles, and vegetation spectral measurements, among others, represent in fact the newest frontier of existing technologies. Knowledge of soil hydraulic properties, often forgotten because of the difficulty of their estimation, can also be considered as a new way to reduce water consumption.

Guidelines for the design of an environmental flow regime program at the regional scale: Application of the ELOHA framework in the Ebro River basin

La gestión de los recursos hídricos se convierte en un reto del presente y del futuro frente a un panorama de continuo incremento de la demanda de agua debido al crecimiento de la población, el crecimiento del desarrollo económico y los posibles efectos del calentamiento global. La política hidráulica desde los años 60 en España se ha centrado en la construcción de infraestructuras que han producido graves alteraciones en el régimen natural de los ríos. Estas alteraciones han provocado y acrecentado los impactos sobre los ecosistemas fluviales y ribereños. Desde los años 90, sin embargo, ha aumentado el interés de la sociedad para conservar estos ecosistemas. El concepto de caudales ambientales consiste en un régimen de caudales que simula las características principales del régimen natural. Los caudales ambientales están diseñados para conservar la estructura y funcionalidad de los ecosistemas asociados al régimen fluvial, bajo la hipótesis de que los elementos que conforman estos ecosistemas están profundamente adaptados al régimen natural de caudales, y que cualquier alteración del régimen natural puede provocar graves daños a todo el sistema. El método ELOHA (Ecological Limits of Hydrological Alteration) tiene como finalidad identificar las componentes del régimen natural de caudales que son clave para mantener el equilibrio de los ecosistemas asociados, y estimar los límites máximos de alteración de estas componentes para garantizar su buen estado. Esta tesis presenta la aplicación del método ELOHA en la cuenca del Ebro. La cuenca del Ebro está profundamente regulada e intervenida por el hombre, y sólo las cabeceras de los principales afluentes del Ebro gozan todavía de un régimen total o cuasi natural. La tesis se estructura en seis capítulos que desarrollan las diferentes partes del método. El primer capítulo explica cómo se originó el concepto “caudales ambientales” y en qué consiste el método ELOHA. El segundo capítulo describe el área de estudio. El tercer capítulo realiza una clasificación de los regímenes naturales de la cuenca (RNC) del Ebro, basada en series de datos de caudal mínimamente alterado y usando exclusivamente parámetros hidrológicos. Se identificaron seis tipos diferentes de régimen natural: pluvial mediterráneo, nivo-pluvial, pluvial mediterréaneo con una fuerte componente del caudal base, pluvial oceánico, pluvio-nival oceánico y Mediterráneo. En el cuarto capítulo se realiza una regionalización a toda la cuenca del Ebro de los seis RNC encontrados en la cueca. Mediante parámetros climáticos y fisiográficos se extrapola la información del tipo de RNC a puntos donde no existen datos de caudal inalterado. El patrón geográfico de los tipos de régimen fluvial obtenido con la regionalización resultó ser coincidente con el patrón obtenido a través de la clasificación hidrológica. El quinto capítulo presenta la validación biológica de los procesos de clasificación anteriores: clasificación hidrológica y regionalización. La validación biológica de los tipos de regímenes fluviales es imprescindible, puesto que los diferentes tipos de régimen fluvial van a servir de unidades de gestión para favorecer el mantenimiento de los ecosistemas fluviales. Se encontraron diferencias significativas entre comunidades biológicas en cinco de los seis tipos de RNC encontrados en la cuenca. Finalmente, en el sexto capítulo se estudian las relaciones hidro-ecológicas existentes en tres de los seis tipos de régimen fluvial encontrados en la cuenca del Ebro. Mediante la construcción de curvas hidro-ecológicas a lo largo de un gradiente de alteración hidrológica, se pueden sugerir los límites de alteración hidrológica (ELOHAs) para garantizar el buen estado ecológico en cada uno de los tipos fluviales estudiados. Se establecieron ELOHAs en tres de los seis tipos de RNC de la cuenca del Ebro Esta tesis, además, pone en evidencia la falta de datos biológicos asociados a registros de caudal. Para llevar a cabo la implantación de un régimen de caudales ambientales en la cuenca, la ubicación de los puntos de muestreo biológico cercanos a estaciones de aforo es imprescindible para poder extraer relaciones causa-efecto de la gestión hidrológica sobre los ecosistemas dependientes. ABSTRACT In view of a growing freshwater demand because of population raising, improvement of economies and the potential effects of climate change, water resources management has become a challenge for present and future societies. Water policies in Spain have been focused from the 60’s on constructing hydraulic infrastructures, in order to dampen flow variability and granting water availability along the year. Consequently, natural flow regimes have been deeply altered and so the depending habitats and its ecosystems. However, an increasing acknowledgment of societies for preserving healthy freshwater ecosystems started in the 90’s and agreed that to maintain healthy freshwater ecosystems, it was necessary to set environmental flow regimes based on the natural flow variability. The Natural Flow Regime paradigm (Richter et al. 1996, Poff et al. 1997) bases on the hypothesis that freshwater ecosystems are made up by elements adapted to natural flow conditions, and any change on these conditions can provoke deep impacts on the whole system. Environmental flow regime concept consists in designing a flow regime that emulates natural flow characteristics, so that ecosystem structure, functions and services are maintained. ELOHA framework (Ecological Limits of Hydrological Alteration) aims to identify key features of the natural flow regime (NFR) that are needed to maintain and preserve healthy freshwater and riparian ecosystems. Moreover, ELOHA framework aims to quantify thresholds of alteration of these flow features according to ecological impacts. This thesis describes the application of the ELOHA framework in the Ebro River Basin. The Ebro River basin is the second largest basin in Spain and it is highly regulated for human demands. Only the Ebro headwaters tributaries still have completely unimpaired flow regime. The thesis has six chapters and the process is described step by step. The first chapter makes an introduction to the origin of the environmental flow concept and the necessity to come up. The second chapter shows a description of the study area. The third chapter develops a classification of NFRs in the basin based on natural flow data and using exclusively hydrological parameters. Six NFRs were found in the basin: continental Mediterranean-pluvial, nivo-pluvial, continental Mediterranean pluvial (with groundwater-dominated flow pattern), pluvio-oceanic, pluvio-nival-oceanic and Mediterranean. The fourth chapter develops a regionalization of the six NFR types across the basin by using climatic and physiographic variables. The geographical pattern obtained from the regionalization process was consistent with the pattern obtained with the hydrologic classification. The fifth chapter performs a biological validation of both classifications, obtained from the hydrologic classification and the posterior extrapolation. When the aim of flow classification is managing water resources according to ecosystem requirements, a validation based on biological data is compulsory. We found significant differences in reference macroinvertebrate communities between five over the six NFR types identified in the Ebro River basin. Finally, in the sixth chapter we explored the existence of significant and explicative flow alteration-ecological response relationships (FA-E curves) within NFR types in the Ebro River basin. The aim of these curves is to find out thresholds of hydrological alteration (ELOHAs), in order to preserve healthy freshwater ecosystem. We set ELOHA values in three NFR types identified in the Ebro River basin. During the development of this thesis, an inadequate biological monitoring in the Ebro River basin was identified. The design and establishment of appropriate monitoring arrangements is a critical final step in the assessment and implementation of environmental flows. Cause-effect relationships between hydrology and macroinvertebrate community condition are the principal data that sustain FA-E curves. Therefore, both data sites must be closely located, so that the effects of external factors are minimized. The scarce hydro-biological pairs of data available in the basin prevented us to apply the ELOHA method at all NFR types.

Joint 4-D variational stereo reconstruction and camera calibration refinement for oceanic sea state measurements

Validating modern oceanographic theories using models produced through stereo computer vision principles has recently emerged. Space-time (4-D) models of the ocean surface may be generated by stacking a series of 3-D reconstructions independently generated for each time instant or, in a more robust manner, by simultaneously processing several snapshots coherently in a true ?4-D reconstruction.? However, the accuracy of these computer-vision-generated models is subject to the estimations of camera parameters, which may be corrupted under the influence of natural factors such as wind and vibrations. Therefore, removing the unpredictable errors of the camera parameters is necessary for an accurate reconstruction. In this paper, we propose a novel algorithm that can jointly perform a 4-D reconstruction as well as correct the camera parameter errors introduced by external factors. The technique is founded upon variational optimization methods to benefit from their numerous advantages: continuity of the estimated surface in space and time, robustness, and accuracy. The performance of the proposed algorithm is tested using synthetic data produced through computer graphics techniques, based on which the errors of the camera parameters arising from natural factors can be simulated.