Experiences with free and open courses using on-line multimedia resources

This paper analyzes the learning experiences and opinions obtained from a group of undergraduate students in their interaction with several on-line multimedia resources included in a free on-line course about Computer Networks. These new educational resources employed are based on the Web2.0 approach such as blogs, videos and virtual labs which have been added in a web-site for distance self-learning.

Using the damage from 2010 Haiti earthquake for calibrating vulnerability models of typical structures in Port-au-Prince (Haiti)

After the 2010 Haiti earthquake, that hits the city of Port-au-Prince, capital city of Haiti, a multidisciplinary working group of specialists (seismologist, geologists, engineers and architects) from different Spanish Universities and also from Haiti, joined effort under the SISMO-HAITI project (financed by the Universidad Politecnica de Madrid), with an objective: Evaluation of seismic hazard and risk in Haiti and its application to the seismic design, urban planning, emergency and resource management. In this paper, as a first step for a structural damage estimation of future earthquakes in the country, a calibration of damage functions has been carried out by means of a two-stage procedure. After compiling a database with observed damage in the city after the earthquake, the exposure model (building stock) has been classified and through an iteratively two-step calibration process, a specific set of damage functions for the country has been proposed. Additionally, Next Generation Attenuation Models (NGA) and Vs30 models have been analysed to choose the most appropriate for the seismic risk estimation in the city. Finally in a next paper, these functions will be used to estimate a seismic risk scenario for a future earthquake.

A first approach to earthquake damage estimation in Haiti: advices to minimize the seismic risk

This study is in the frame of the cooperative line that several Spanish Universities and other foreign partners started with the Haitian government in 2010. According to our studies (Benito et al. in An evaluation of seismic hazard in La Hispaniola, after the 2010 Haiti earthquake, 33rd General Assembly of the European Seismological Commission, Moscow, Russia, 2012) and recent scientific literature, the earthquake hazard in Haiti remains high (Calais et al. in Nat Geosci 3:794–799, 2010). In view of this, we wonder whether the country is currently ready to face another earthquake. In this sense, we estimated several damage scenarios in Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien associated to realistic possible major earthquakes. Our findings show that almost 50 % of the building stock of both cities would result uninhabitable due to structural damage. Around 80 % of the buildings in both cities have reinforced concrete structure with concrete block infill; however, the presence of masonry buildings becomes significant (between 25 and 45 % of the reinforced concrete buildings) in rural areas and informal settlements on the outskirts, where the estimated damage is higher. The influence of the soil effect on the damage spatial distribution is evident in both cities. We have found that the percentage of uninhabitable buildings in soft soil areas may be double the percentage obtained in nearby districts located in hard soil. These results reveal that a new seismic catastrophe of similar or even greater consequences than the 2010 Haiti earthquake might happen if the earthquake resilience is not improved in the country. Nowadays, the design of prevention actions and mitigation policies is the best instrument the society has to face seismic risk. In this sense, the results of this research might contribute to define measures oriented to earthquake risk reduction in Haiti, which should be a real priority for national and international institutions.

Análisis de la carga interna en los entrenamientos de fútbol sala femenino de 1ª división nacional

El objetivo de este estudio es analizar la frecuencia cardiaca (FC) y la percepción subjetiva del esfuerzo (RPE) en los entrenamientos de fútbol sala en jugadoras (25.42±4.42 años, 166.57±7.14 cm, 56.50±4.95 kg y 22.23±0.97 IMC) de un equipo de primera división de la liga nacional española. Se registraron, mediante monitores de ritmo cardiaco y la escala de Foster, ocho sesiones de entrenamiento de tipo técnico-táctico, físico y partidos modificados, distribuidas durante la mitad de la temporada. Los resultados de la FC máxima y media obtenida son 174.03±4.15 y 128.29±0.81 ppm en sesiones técnico-tácticas, 179.75±2.05 y 132±2.12 ppm en sesiones físicas, 180.99±1.06 y 133.63±5.52 ppm en partidos modificados, respectivamente. Habiendo diferencias significativas en los resultados de la FC máxima entre las sesiones técnico-tácticas y los partidos modificados (p=0.03) y entre la sesiones físicas y las técnico-tácticas (p=0.04). En cuanto a los resultados de la carga de entrenamiento y la RPE en las sesiones técnico-tácticas son 381.22±16.42 y 6.21±0.12 rpe, en las sesiones físicas 533.25±5.59 y 7.90±0.0 rpe, y en los partidos modificados 531.18±4.21 y 7.97±0.22 rpe, respectivamente. Encontrando diferencias significativas entre los resultados de la RPE y la magnitud de la carga de entrenamiento de las sesiones técnico-tácticas y los partidos modificados (p=0.00) y entre la sesiones físicas y las técnico-tácticas (p=0.00). Estos resultados muestran que la sesión de partido modificado obtiene unos valores de frecuencia cardiaca y de percepción subjetiva del esfuerzo mayor que las sesiones técnico-tácticas y las de trabajo físico.