Polarimetric radar interferometry for improved mine detection and surface clutter rejection

A recently developed technique, polarimetric radar interferometry, is applied to tackle the problem of the detection of buried objects embedded in surface clutter. An experiment with a fully polarimetric radar in an anechoic chamber has been carried out using different frequency bands and baselines. The processed results show the ability of this technique to detect buried plastic mines and to measure their depth. This technique enables the detection of plastic mines even if their backscatter response is much lower than that of the surface clutter.

Between specialization and globalization. The marketing of agrarian products and its environmental impacts seen from a historical perspective: the province of Barcelona in the mid-nineteenth century

Ecological economics has five good reasons to consider that economic globalisation, spurred by commercial and financial fluxes, to be one of the main driving forces responsible for causing environmental degradation to our planet. The first, is the energy consumption and the socio-environmental impacts which long-distance haulage entails. The second, is the ever-increasing flow of goods to far-away destinations which renders their recycling practically impossible. This is particularly significant, because it prevents the metabolic lock of the nutrients present in food and other agrarian products from taking place. The third, is that the high degree of specialization attained in agriculture, forestry, cattle, mining and industry in each region, generates deleterious effects not only on the eco-landscape structure of the uses of the soil, but on the capability to provide habitat and environmental functions to maintain biodiversity as well

Economic effects of road accessibility in the Pyrenees: user perspective

At present, Spain faces one of the key moments in planning the future design of the infrastructure network. As a consequence of the critical role played by haulage in intra-European trade, the most important investments are those that guarantee that road haulage traffic can move freely at the borders. That is why it is necessary to make serious evaluations of the economic and social profitability of these investments. Normally the most significant social benefit of investment projects in transport infrastructure is time saving, which in turn changes traffic intensity. In this article we analyse the changes in the user excess caused by public investment in transport infrastructure planned by the Spanish government and which will be located on the border between Spain and France. In particular, we study the increase in network user surplus for HGV traffic in the Spanish and French border zones in the Pyrenees.

Ricercando tra i Registri

My final project is to show the development of the language and the style of the double bass and its change of role through different influences. To accomplish this I decided to make an analytic overview of those double bass players that started to use a different and not traditional approach on the instrument. Later, I focused on the bassists and composers who influenced me the most in the latest period of my study career by partly analysing their playing and their composition. Another part of my work was concerned with creating a personal connection with those musicians, who I consider idols of mine. I did this through interviews, to try to understand their creative process on the instrument and in the composition and to deeply comprehend their personal point of view about the evolution of the double bass. At the same time my interest for the compositional aspect was growing together with the necessity to discover my own voice as a musician. Subsequently I made an analysis of my compositions to underline and to get conscious about my personal influences and evolution. Concluding from this, I have created a complete overview and deepened my understanding for the modern approach in Jazz double bass.

Comparative study of algal communities in acid and alkaline waters from Tinto, Odiel and Piedras river basins (SW Spain)

The distribution patterns of benthic algal assemblages in the Tinto, Odiel and Piedras rivers were analyzed during the winter of 2005 in 18 sampling stations. The main objective was to assess and compare the algal communities and parameters affecting them both in the zones affected by acid mine drainage (AMD) and in naturally alkaline waters. A total of 108 benthic diatom taxa and 31 non-diatom taxa were identi ed. Results showed large differences between algal communities in the two environments: Pinnularia acoricola, P. subcapitata and Eunotia exigua were the most frequent diatom taxa in regions affected by acid mine drainage, along with algae like Klebsormidium and Euglena mutabilis were the most relevant non-diatom taxa. In alkaline waters the dominant diatom taxa were Planothidium frequentissimum, Gomphonema angustum, Fragilaria capucina, and some species of Navicula (N. viridula, N. veneta or N. radiosa), accompanied by Oscillatoria and Anabaena as well as by streptophytes of the group of zygnemataceae and desmidiaceae

Control de la derivació de l'aigua de reg de Masjoan

RESUM Masjoan és una masia del segle XII on resideix la família Masferrer des del 1710. Actualment a Masjoan l’activitat principal és el cultiu i venta de plantes ornamentals, i l’explotació forestal per obtenir fusta. Pel que fa a l’aigua, tant per a la realització de l’activitat professional com per al subministrament de la casa, aquesta prové de mines d’aigua natural situades en la finca. L’objectiu d’aquest TFC ha estat dissenyar un sistema autònom per automatitzar el procés de derivació de l’aigua procedent d’una mina, i d’aquesta manera aprofitar millor els recursos naturals dels que és disposa. El desenvolupament d’aquest sistema, comprèn la selecció i configuració de sensors i actuadors, el disseny del circuit amb la realització de la placa, el disseny del sistema d’alimentació autònom, el software que controla el sistema, i dimensionar la resta d’elements de la instal•lació. Tot el sistema està controlat per un microcontrolador PIC16F876 i alimentat per un mòdul solar de 4W. En el disseny s’ha procurat, sobredimencionar les diferents etapes per possibles ampliacions o modificacions del sistema i que el circuit procures optimitzar el consum d’energia. Com a conclusions cal dir que s’han assolit els objectius proposats amb èxit. S’ha aconseguit un disseny funcional i estable que actualment es troba en funcionament.