Geochemistry of ODP Sites 128-798 and 128-799 sediments

Nineteen trace elements, including seven rare earth elements (REE's), and 10 major and minor elements in 76 sediment samples from Sites 798 (Oki Ridge) and 799 (Yamato Trough) were determined by means of instrumental neutron activation analysis and X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. Most REE patterns (chondrite-normalized) of the sediments from both sites were nearly identical to the patterns of terrigenous materials. The cerium anomaly (slightly positive) frequently appeared in REE patterns of the sediments (200-750 mbsf) from Site 799. Cerium may be selectively incorporated into the sediments with hydrogenous manganese precipitation. However, the degree of the anomaly was not well correlated with manganese content, suggesting that cerium may behave as a trivalent REE (like the other REE's) during diagenesis while manganese is transported in the sediment column accompanied by reduction to a lower oxidation state. The Th/Sc ratio of the sediments from Sites 798 and 799 tended to decrease with penetration depth. Such a depth profile may indicate a decrease in basic volcanism activities from the Pliocene (Site 798) and Miocene (Site 799). The La/Yb ratio and degree of europium anomaly also varied with depth, which may imply that two or more components with different REE patterns were supplied throughout sedimentation at sites in the Japan Sea.

Neodymium isotopic data, radiocarbon dates and calibrated ages of sediment samples off the La Plata Estuary, southeastern South America

The continental margin off the La Plata Estuary (SE South America) is characterized by high fluvial sediment supply and strong ocean currents. High-resolution sediment-acoustic data combined with sedimentary facies analysis, AMS-14C ages, and neodymium isotopic data allowed us to reconstruct late Quaternary sedimentary dynamics in relation to the two major sediment sources, the La Plata Estuary and the Argentine margin. Sediments from these two provinces show completely different dispersal patterns. We show that the northward-trending La Plata paleo-valley was the sole transit path for the huge volumes of fluvial material during lower sea levels. In contrast, material from the Argentine margin sector was transported northwards by the strong current system. Despite the large sediment volumes supplied by both sources, wide parts of the shelf were characterized by either persistent non-deposition or local short-term depocenter formation. The location and formation history of these depocenters were primarily controlled by the interplay of sea level with current strength and local morphology. The high sediment supply was of secondary importance to the stratigraphic construction, though locally resulting in high sedimentation rates. Thus, the shelf system off the La Plata Estuary can be considered as a hydrodynamic-controlled end-member.

Mg/Ca ratios of Neogloboquadrina pachyderma (s) and Globigerina bulloides in Irminger Sea sediment trap time series

iven the importance of high-latitude areas in the ocean-climate system, there is need for a paleothermometer that is reliable at low temperatures. Here we assess the applicability of the Mg/Ca-temperature proxy in colder waters (5-10?°C) by comparing for the first time the seasonal Mg/Ca and d18O cycles of N. pachyderma (s) and G. bulloides using a sediment trap time-series from the northern North Atlantic. While both species show indistinguishable seasonal d18O patterns that clearly track the near surface temperature cycle, their Mg/Ca are very different. G. bulloides Mg/Ca is high (2.0-3.1 mmol/mol), but varies in concert with the seasonal temperature cycle. The Mg/Ca of N. pachyderma (s), on the other hand, is low (1.1-1.5 mmol/mol) and shows only a very weak seasonal cycle. The d18O patterns indicate that both species calcify in the same depth zone. Consequently, depth habitat differences cannot explain the contrasting Mg/Ca patterns. The elevated Mg/Ca in pristine G. bulloides might be due to the presence of high Mg phases that are not preserved in fossil shells. The contrasting absence of a seasonal trend in the Mg/Ca of N. pachyderma (s) confirms other studies where calcification temperatures were less well constrained. The reason for this absence is not fully known, but may include species-specific vital effects. The very different seasonal patterns of both species' Mg/Ca underscore the importance of parameters other than temperature in controlling planktonic foraminiferal Mg/Ca. Our results therefore lend further caution in the interpretation of Mg/Ca-temperature reconstructions from high northern latitudes.

Trace element profiles of the sea anemone Anemonia viridis living nearby a natural CO2 vent

Ocean acidification (OA) is not an isolated threat, but acts in concert with other impacts on ecosystems and species. Coastal marine invertebrates will have to face the synergistic interactions of OA with other global and local stressors. One local factor, common in coastal environments, is trace element contamination. CO2 vent sites are extensively studied in the context of OA and are often considered analogous to the oceans in the next few decades. The CO2 vent found at Levante Bay (Vulcano, NE Sicily, Italy) also releases high concentrations of trace elements to its surrounding seawater, and is therefore a unique site to examine the effects of long-term exposure of nearby organisms to high pCO2 and trace element enrichment in situ. The sea anemone Anemonia viridis is prevalent next to the Vulcano vent and does not show signs of trace element poisoning/stress. The aim of our study was to compare A. viridis trace element profiles and compartmentalization between high pCO2 and control environments. Rather than examining whole anemone tissue, we analyzed two different body compartments-the pedal disc and the tentacles, and also examined the distribution of trace elements in the tentacles between the animal and the symbiotic algae. We found dramatic changes in trace element tissue concentrations between the high pCO2/high trace element and control sites, with strong accumulation of iron, lead, copper and cobalt, but decreased concentrations of cadmium, zinc and arsenic proximate to the vent. The pedal disc contained substantially more trace elements than the anemone's tentacles, suggesting the pedal disc may serve as a detoxification/storage site for excess trace elements. Within the tentacles, the various trace elements displayed different partitioning patterns between animal tissue and algal symbionts. At both sites iron was found primarily in the algae, whereas cadmium, zinc and arsenic were primarily found in the animal tissue. Our data suggests that A. viridis regulates its internal trace element concentrations by compartmentalization and excretion and that these features contribute to its resilience and potential success at the trace element-rich high pCO2 vent.

Multivariant non-failure analysis via standard abstract interpretation

Non-failure analysis aims at inferring that predicate calis in a program will never fail. This type of information has many applications in functional/logic programming. It is essential for determining lower bounds on the computational cost of calis, useful in the context of program parallelization, instrumental in partial evaluation and other program transformations, and has also been used in query optimization. In this paper, we re-cast the non-failure analysis proposed by Debray et al. as an abstract interpretation, which not only allows to investígate it from a standard and well understood theoretical framework, but has also several practical advantages. It allows us to incorpórate non-failure analysis into a standard, generic abstract interpretation engine. The analysis thus benefits from the fixpoint propagation algorithm, which leads to improved information propagation. Also, the analysis takes advantage of the multi-variance of the generic engine, so that it is now able to infer sepárate non-failure information for different cali patterns. Moreover, the implementation is simpler, and allows to perform non-failure and covering analyses alongside other analyses, such as those for modes and types, in the same framework. Finally, besides the precisión improvements and the additional simplicity, our implementation (in the Ciao/CiaoPP multiparadigm programming system) also shows better efRciency.

Electrooptical behavior of twisted-wedge nematic structures

A new type of domain in twisted-wedge negative nematics is reported. The wedge shape allows the separation of ordinary and extraordinary beams that can be studied separately. In these conditions, at least five different regions can be detected, depending on applied voltages and frequencies. Both rays are shown to yield different diffraction patterns. The relative light intensity of several spots of these paterns is also studied.

Convective instabilities in two superposed horizontal liquid layers heated laterally.

This work is devoted to the theoretical study of the stability of two superposed horizontal liquid layers bounded by two solid planes and subjected to a horizontal temperature gradient. The liquids are supposed to be immiscible with a nondeformable interface. The forces acting on the system are buoyancy and interfacial tension. Four different flow patterns and temperature profiles are found for the basic state. A linear perturbative analysis with respect to two- and three-dimensional perturbations reveals the existence of three kinds of patterns. Depending on the relative height of both liquids several situations are predicted: either wave propa- gation from cold to the hot regions, or waves propagating in the opposite direction or still stationary longitu- dinal rolls. The behavior of three different pairs of liquids which have been used in experiments on bilayers under vertical gradient by other authors have been examined. The instability mechanisms are discussed and a qualitative interpretation of the different behaviors exhibited by the system is provided. In some configurations it is possible to find a codimension-two point created by the interaction of two Hopf modes with different frequencies and wave numbers. These results suggest to consider two liquid layers as an interesting prototype ? nard-Marangoni problem.

Chemical and structural analysis of Eucalyptus globulus and E. camaldulensis leaf cuticles: a lipidized cell wall region

The plant cuticle has traditionally been conceived as an independent hydrophobic layer that covers the external epidermal cell wall. Due to its complexity, the existing relationship between cuticle chemical composition and ultra-structure remains unclear to date. This study aimed to examine the link between chemical composition and structure of isolated, adaxial leaf cuticles of Eucalyptus camaldulensis and E. globulus by the gradual extraction and identification of lipid constituents (cutin and soluble lipids), coupled to spectroscopic and microscopic analyses. The soluble compounds and cutin monomers identified could not be assigned to a concrete internal cuticle ultra-structure. After cutin depolymerization, a cellulose network resembling the cell wall was observed, with different structural patterns in the regions ascribed to the cuticle proper and cuticular layer, respectively. Our results suggest that the current cuticle model should be revised, stressing the presence and major role of cell wall polysaccharides. It is concluded that the cuticle may be interpreted as a modified cell wall region which contains additional lipids. The major heterogeneity of the plant cuticle makes it difficult to establish a direct link between cuticle chemistry and structure with the existing methodologies.

Biodiversidad de frijol (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) en Honduras. Caracterización agromorfológica, molecular y ecogeográfica

En el presente trabajo se ha llevado a cabo un estudio de la biodiversidad del frijol común (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) en Honduras, que es el segundo de los cultivos de granos básicos en importancia. Dicho estudio se ha realizado mediante una caracterización agromorfológica, molecular y ecogeográfica en una selección de 300 accesiones conservadas en el banco de germoplasma ubicado en la Escuela Agrícola Panamericana (EAP) El Zamorano, y que se colectaron en 13 departamentos del país durante el periodo de 1990 a 1994. Estas accesiones fueron colectadas cuatro años antes del acontecimiento del huracán Mitch, el cual a su paso afectó al 96% del área total cultivable en su momento, lo cual nos hace considerar que la biodiversidad de razas locales (landraces) de frijol común existentes in situ fueron severamente afectadas. Los trabajos dirigidos a analizar la biodiversidad de razas locales de frijol común en Honduras son escasos, y este trabajo se constituye como el primero que incluye una amplia muestra a ser estudiada a través de una caracterización en tres aspectos complementarios (agromorfológico, molecular y ecogeográfico). Se evaluaron 32 caracteres agromorfológicos, 12 cuantitativos y 20 cualitativos, en distintas partes de la planta. Se establecieron las correlaciones entre los caracteres agromorfológicos y se elaboró un dendrograma con los mismos, en el que se formaron ocho grupos, en parte relacionados principalmente con los colores y tamaños de la semilla. Mediante el análisis de componentes principales se estudiaron los caracteres de más peso en cada uno de los tres primeros componentes. Asimismo, se estudiaron las correlaciones entre caracteres, siendo las más altas la longitud y anchura de la hoja, días a madurez y a cosecha y longitud y peso de semilla. Por otra parte, el mapa de diversidad agromorfológica mostró la existencia de tres zonas con mayor diversidad: en el oeste (en los departamentos de Santa Bárbara, Lempira y Copán), en el centro-norte (en los departamentos de Francisco Morazán, Yoro y Atlántida) y en el sur (en el departamento de El Paraíso y al sur de Francisco Morazán). Para la caracterización molecular partimos de 12 marcadores de tipo microsatélite, evaluados en 54 accesiones, que fueron elegidas por constituir grupos que compartían un mismo nombre local. Finalmente, se seleccionaron los cuatro microsatélites (BM53, GATS91, BM211 y PV-AT007) que resultaron ser más polimórficos e informativos para el análisis de las 300 accesiones, con los que se detectaron un total de 119 alelos (21 de ellos únicos o privados de accesión) y 256 patrones alélicos diferentes. Para estudiar la estructura y relaciones genéticas en las 300 accesiones se incluyeron en el análisis tres controles o accesiones de referencia, pertenecientes dos de ellas al acervo genético Andino y una al Mesoamericano. En el dendrograma se obtuvieron 25 grupos de accesiones con idénticas combinaciones de alelos. Al comparar este dendrograma con el de caracteres agromorfológicos se observaron diversos grupos con marcada similitud en ambos. Un total de 118 accesiones resultaron ser homogéneas y homocigóticas, a la vez que representativas del grupo de 300 accesiones, por lo que se analizaron con más detalle. El análisis de la estructura genética definió la formación de dos grupos, supuestamente relacionados con los acervos genéticos Andino (48) y Mesoamericano (61), y un reducido número de accesiones (9) que podrían tener un origen híbrido, debido a la existencia de un cierto grado de introgresión entre ambos acervos. La diferenciación genética entre ambos grupos fue del 13,3%. Asimismo, 66 de los 82 alelos detectados fueron privados de grupo, 30 del supuesto grupo Andino y 36 del Mesoamericano. Con relación al mapa de diversidad molecular, presentó una distribución bastante similar al de la diversidad agromorfológica, detectándose también las zonas de mayor diversidad genética en el oeste (en los departamentos de Lempira y Santa Bárbara), en el centro-norte (en los departamentos de Yoro y Atlántida) y en el sur (en el departamento de El Paraíso y al sur de Francisco Morazán). Para la caracterización ecogeográfica se seleccionaron variables de tipo bioclimático (2), geofísico (2) y edáfico (8), y mediante el método de agrupamiento de partición alrededor de los medoides, la combinación de los grupos con cada uno de los tres tipos de variables definió un total de 32 categorías ecogeográficas en el país, detectándose accesiones en 16 de ellas. La distribución de las accesiones previsiblemente esté relacionada con la existencia de condiciones más favorables al cultivo de frijol. En el mapa de diversidad ecogeográfica, nuevamente, se observaron varias zonas con alta diversidad tanto en el oeste, como en el centro-norte y en el sur del país. Como consecuencia del estudio realizado, se concluyó la existencia de una marcada biodiversidad en el material analizado, desde el punto de vista tanto agromorfológico como molecular. Por lo que resulta de gran importancia plantear la conservación de este patrimonio genético tanto ex situ, en bancos de germoplasma, como on farm, en las propias explotaciones de los agricultores del país, siempre que sea posible. ABSTRACT In the present work we have carried out a study of the biodiversity of the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L) in Honduras, which is the second of the basic grain crops in importance. This study was conducted through agro-morphological, molecular and ecogeographical characterization of a selection of 300 accessions conserved in the genebank located in the ‘Escuela Agrícola Panamericana (EAP) El Zamorano’ that were collected in 13 departments of the country during the 1990 to 1994 period. These accessions were collected four years before the occurrence of Mitch hurricane, which affected 96% of the total cultivable area at the time, which makes us to consider that the biodiversity of local landraces of common bean existing in situ were severely affected. The work aimed to analyze the biodiversity of local races of common bean in Honduras are scarce, and this work constitutes the first to include a large sample to be studied through a characterization on three complementary aspects (agromorphological, molecular and ecogeographical). Thirty two agromorphological characters, 12 quantitative and 20 qualitative, in various parts of the plant were evaluated. Correlations between agromorphological characters were established and a dendrogram with them was constructed, in which eight groups were formed, in part mainly related to the colors and sizes of the seeds. By principal component analysis the characters with more weight in each of the first three components were studied. Also, correlations between characters were studied, the highest of them being length and leaf width, days to maturity and harvest, and seed length and weight. Moreover, the map of agromorphological diversity showed the existence of three areas with more diversity: the west (departments of Santa Barbara, Copan and Lempira), the center-north (departments of Francisco Morazán, Yoro and Atlántida) and the south (department of El Paraiso and south of Francisco Morazán). For molecular characterization we started with 12 microsatellite markers, evaluated in 54 accessions, which were chosen because they formed groups that shared the same local name. Finally, four microsatellites (BM53, GATS91, BM211 and PV-AT007) were selected for the analysis of 300 accessions, since they were the most polymorphic and informative. They gave a total of 119 alleles (21 of them unique or private for the accession) and 256 different allelic patterns. To study the structure and genetic relationships in the 300 accessions, three controls or accessions of reference were included in the analysis: two of them belonging to the Andean gene pool and one to the Mesoamerican. In the dendrogram, 25 accession groups with identical allele combinations were obtained. Comparing this dendrogram to the obtained with agromorphological characters, several groups with marked similarity in both were observed. A total of 118 accessions were homozygous and homogeneous, while representing the group of 300 accessions, therefore they were analyzed in more detail. The analysis of the genetic structure defined the formation of two groups, supposedly related to the Andean (48) and the Mesoamerican (61) gene pools, and a small number of accessions (9) which may have a hybrid origin, due to the existence of some degree of introgression between both gene pools. Genetic differentiation between both groups was 13.3%. Also, 66 of the 82 detected alleles were private or unique for the group, 30 of the supposed Andean group and 36 of the Mesoamerican. With relation to the map of molecular diversity, it showed a quite similar distribution to the agromorphological, also detecting the areas of greatest genetic diversity in the west (departments of Lempira and Santa Bárbara), in the center-north (departments Atlántida and Yoro) and in the south (departments of El Paraíso and south of Francisco Morazán). For the ecogeographical characterization, bioclimatic (2), geophysical (2) and edaphic (8) variables were selected, and by the method of clustering partition around the medoids, the combination of the groups to each of the three types of variables defined a total of 32 ecogeographical categories in the country, having accessions in 16 of them. The distribution of accessions is likely related to the existence of more favorable conditions for the cultivation of beans. The map of ecogeographical diversity, again, several areas with high diversity both in the west and in the center-north and in the south of the country were observed. As a result of study, the existence of marked biodiversity in the analyzed material was concluded, both from the agromorphological and from the molecular point of view. Consequently it is very important to propose the conservation of this genetic heritage both ex situ, in genebanks, as on farm, in the holdings of the farmers of the country, whenever possible.

Propiedades de materiales mediante análisis de radiación aleatoria

Las técnicas de speckle tienen un gran interés científico e ingenieril, ya que son métodos de ejecución rápida y no destructiva, con base en el análisis de las fluctuaciones de intensidad de la radiación producida cuando la luz coherente de un haz láser es esparcida por un material dado. En este caso se produce un patrón aleatorio de interferencia y difracción donde la suma de las componentes desfasadas dará lugar a máximos y mínimos de intensidad en distintos puntos del espacio. Éste, pese a tratarse de un ruido nocivo en multitud de áreas tales como la transmisión de señales o la holografía, tiene importantes propiedades físicas que lo caracterizan y lo hacen útil como medio para analizar sistemas reales de muy diversa índole. En el presente estudio, se ha llevado a cabo un análisis polarimétrico de la radiación aleatoria esparcida por una serie de muestras metálicas y dieléctricas con el objetivo de establecer una base comparativa que nos permita poder distinguir unas de otras. Para este fin se han comparado los parámetros de polarización de Stokes, el grado de polarización de la luz, las distribuciones de intensidad y el tamaño medio del speckle registrado en los distintos patrones de intensidad. Además, se analizará la dependencia de la rugosidad en el grado de polarización de la luz para los distintos medios sometidos a estudio. Abstract Speckle techniques have a great scientific and engineering interest as they are methods of rapid and non-destructive execution, based on the analysis of the fluctuations of intensity of the radiation produced when coherent light of a laser beam is scattered by a material given. In this case, a random pattern of interference and diffraction occurs where the sum of phase shifted components will result in maximum or minimum of intensity at different points in space. This, despite being a harmful noise in many areas such as signal transmission or holography, has important physical properties that characterize it and make it useful as a means to analyze real systems of various kinds. In the present study, we have conducted a polarimetric analysis of the random radiation scattered by a series of metal and dielectric samples in order to establish a comparative basis to allow us to distinguish one from another. To this end we have compared, the stokes polarization parameters, the degree of polarization (DOP), the intensity distributions and the average size of the speckle registered in the different intensity patterns. Furthermore, dependence of roughness in the DOP of light for the different means under study will be analyzed.

Forced Response of Mistuned Bladed Disks: Quantitative Validation of the Asymptotic Description

The effect of small mistuning in the forced response of a bladed disk is analyzed using a recently introduced methodology: the asymptotic mistuning model. The asymptotic mistuning model is an extremely reduced, simplified model that is derived directly from the full formulation of the mistuned bladed disk using a consistent perturbative procedure based on the relative smallness of the mistuning distortion. A detailed description of the derivation of the asymptotic mistuning model for a realistic bladed disk configuration is presented. The asymptotic mistuning model results for several different mistuning patterns and forcing conditions are compared with those from a high-resolution finite element model. The asymptotic mistuning model produces quantitatively accurate results, and, probably more relevant, it gives precise information about the factors (tuned modes and components of the mistuning pattern) that actually play a role in the vibrational forced response of mistuned bladed disks.

Arquitectura y modelo de referencia para un ecosistema de intercambio de datos personales centrado en el usuario

Los servicios telemáticos han transformando la mayoría de nuestras actividades cotidianas y ofrecen oportunidades sin precedentes con características como, por ejemplo, el acceso ubicuo, la disponibilidad permanente, la independencia del dispositivo utilizado, la multimodalidad o la gratuidad, entre otros. No obstante, los beneficios que destacan en cuanto se reflexiona sobre estos servicios, tienen como contrapartida una serie de riesgos y amenazas no tan obvios, ya que éstos se nutren de y tratan con datos personales, lo cual suscita dudas respecto a la privacidad de las personas. Actualmente, las personas que asumen el rol de usuarios de servicios telemáticos generan constantemente datos digitales en distintos proveedores. Estos datos reflejan parte de su intimidad, de sus características particulares, preferencias, intereses, relaciones sociales, hábitos de consumo, etc. y lo que es más controvertido, toda esta información se encuentra bajo la custodia de distintos proveedores que pueden utilizarla más allá de las necesidades y el control del usuario. Los datos personales y, en particular, el conocimiento sobre los usuarios que se puede extraer a partir de éstos (modelos de usuario) se han convertido en un nuevo activo económico para los proveedores de servicios. De este modo, estos recursos se pueden utilizar para ofrecer servicios centrados en el usuario basados, por ejemplo, en la recomendación de contenidos, la personalización de productos o la predicción de su comportamiento, lo cual permite a los proveedores conectar con los usuarios, mantenerlos, involucrarlos y en definitiva, fidelizarlos para garantizar el éxito de un modelo de negocio. Sin embargo, dichos recursos también pueden utilizarse para establecer otros modelos de negocio que van más allá de su procesamiento y aplicación individual por parte de un proveedor y que se basan en su comercialización y compartición con otras entidades. Bajo esta perspectiva, los usuarios sufren una falta de control sobre los datos que les refieren, ya que esto depende de la voluntad y las condiciones impuestas por los proveedores de servicios, lo cual implica que habitualmente deban enfrentarse ante la disyuntiva de ceder sus datos personales o no acceder a los servicios telemáticos ofrecidos. Desde el sector público se trata de tomar medidas que protejan a los usuarios con iniciativas y legislaciones que velen por su privacidad y que aumenten el control sobre sus datos personales, a la vez que debe favorecer el desarrollo económico propiciado por estos proveedores de servicios. En este contexto, esta tesis doctoral propone una arquitectura y modelo de referencia para un ecosistema de intercambio de datos personales centrado en el usuario que promueve la creación, compartición y utilización de datos personales y modelos de usuario entre distintos proveedores, al mismo tiempo que ofrece a los usuarios las herramientas necesarias para ejercer su control en cuanto a la cesión y uso de sus recursos personales y obtener, en su caso, distintos incentivos o contraprestaciones económicas. Las contribuciones originales de la tesis son la especificación y diseño de una arquitectura que se apoya en un proceso de modelado distribuido que se ha definido en el marco de esta investigación. Éste se basa en el aprovechamiento de recursos que distintas entidades (fuentes de datos) ofrecen para generar modelos de usuario enriquecidos que cubren las necesidades específicas de terceras entidades, considerando la participación del usuario y el control sobre sus recursos personales (datos y modelos de usuario). Lo anterior ha requerido identificar y caracterizar las fuentes de datos con potencial de abastecer al ecosistema, determinar distintos patrones para la generación de modelos de usuario a partir de datos personales distribuidos y heterogéneos y establecer una infraestructura para la gestión de identidad y privacidad que permita a los usuarios expresar sus preferencias e intereses respecto al uso y compartición de sus recursos personales. Además, se ha definido un modelo de negocio de referencia que sustenta las investigaciones realizadas y que ha sido particularizado en dos ámbitos de aplicación principales, en concreto, el sector de publicidad en redes sociales y el sector financiero para la implantación de nuevos servicios. Finalmente, cabe destacar que las contribuciones de esta tesis han sido validadas en el contexto de distintos proyectos de investigación industrial aplicada y también en el marco de proyectos fin de carrera que la autora ha tutelado o en los que ha colaborado. Los resultados obtenidos han originado distintos méritos de investigación como dos patentes en explotación, la publicación de un artículo en una revista con índice de impacto y diversos artículos en congresos internacionales de relevancia. Algunos de éstos han sido galardonados con premios de distintas instituciones, así como en las conferencias donde han sido presentados. ABSTRACT Information society services have changed most of our daily activities, offering unprecedented opportunities with certain characteristics, such as: ubiquitous access, permanent availability, device independence, multimodality and free-of-charge services, among others. However, all the positive aspects that emerge when thinking about these services have as counterpart not-so-obvious threats and risks, because they feed from and use personal data, thus creating concerns about peoples’ privacy. Nowadays, people that play the role of user of services are constantly generating digital data in different service providers. These data reflect part of their intimacy, particular characteristics, preferences, interests, relationships, consumer behavior, etc. Controversy arises because this personal information is stored and kept by the mentioned providers that can use it beyond the user needs and control. Personal data and, in particular, the knowledge about the user that can be obtained from them (user models) have turned into a new economic asset for the service providers. In this way, these data and models can be used to offer user centric services based, for example, in content recommendation, tailored-products or user behavior, all of which allows connecting with the users, keeping them more engaged and involved with the provider, finally reaching customer loyalty in order to guarantee the success of a business model. However, these resources can be used to establish a different kind of business model; one that does not only processes and individually applies personal data, but also shares and trades these data with other entities. From that perspective, the users lack control over their referred data, because it depends from the conditions imposed by the service providers. The consequence is that the users often face the following dilemma: either giving up their personal data or not using the offered services. The Public Sector takes actions in order to protect the users approving, for example, laws and legal initiatives that reinforce privacy and increase control over personal data, while at the same time the authorities are also key players in the economy development that derives from the information society services. In this context, this PhD Dissertation proposes an architecture and reference model to achieve a user-centric personal data ecosystem that promotes the creation, sharing and use of personal data and user models among different providers, while offering users the tools to control who can access which data and why and if applicable, to obtain different incentives. The original contributions obtained are the specification and design of an architecture that supports a distributed user modelling process defined by this research. This process is based on leveraging scattered resources of heterogeneous entities (data sources) to generate on-demand enriched user models that fulfill individual business needs of third entities, considering the involvement of users and the control over their personal resources (data and user models). This has required identifying and characterizing data sources with potential for supplying resources, defining different generation patterns to produce user models from scattered and heterogeneous data, and establishing identity and privacy management infrastructures that allow users to set their privacy preferences regarding the use and sharing of their resources. Moreover, it has also been proposed a reference business model that supports the aforementioned architecture and this has been studied for two application fields: social networks advertising and new financial services. Finally, it has to be emphasized that the contributions obtained in this dissertation have been validated in the context of several national research projects and master thesis that the author has directed or has collaborated with. Furthermore, these contributions have produced different scientific results such as two patents and different publications in relevant international conferences and one magazine. Some of them have been awarded with different prizes.

Estructura espacial y dinámica del bosque montano del sur del Ecuador. Interacciones bióticas y limitaciones abióticas

Muchos estudios han descrito la composición y diversidad de los bosques montanos tropicales, pero los patrones espaciales y las diferentes tipos de relaciones de estos, entre especies o entre grupos funcionales ha sido poco documentada. El presente trabajo se realizó en tres parcelas completamente censadas del bosque de la Estación Biológica “Chamusquin” (Zamora Chinchipe, Ecuador), y se plantea como objetivo principal conocer la estructura espacial y dinámica del bosque montano tropical del sur del Ecuador, así como las interacciones bióticas y limitaciones abióticas que influyen en esta dinámica, para ello se planteó cuatro objetivos de estudio que son: conocer los patrones espaciales de los gremios ecológicos dentro de la zona de estudio; conocer la influencia de la dependencia negativa de la densidad sobre dos especies de helechos arborescentes (Cyatheaceae); conocer si existen especies o grupos ecológicos acumuladoras o repulsoras de diversidad en el área de estudio; y conocer cómo influyen la diversidad filogenética y la densidad del vecindario en la incidencia de herbivoría y parasitismo sobre las fases iniciales del establecimiento forestal (brinzales) así como en la supervivencia de los mismos Como paso previo para el análisis del resto de objetivos, dentro de cada parcela se marcaron todos los individuos con DAP ≥5 cm y se tomaron sus coordenadas (X, Y). Además se tomaron datos de variables superficiales y muestras del suelo. Las especies encontradas se clasificaron de acuerdo a sus características biológicas, asignándolas a cada uno de los cuatro gremios forestales usualmente distinguidos en los bosques tropicales: tolerantes a la sombra (TS), tolerantes parciales a la sombra (TPS), pioneras de vida larga (PVL) y pioneras de vida corta (PVC). Para el estudio del primer objetivo tas se emplearon funciones K de Ripley inhomogéneas, ajustando la heterogeneidad en base a la variación espacial de las variables ambientales registradas . Los resultados demostraron que tanto la frecuencia relativa como el patrón espacial de las diferentes estrategias funcionales varían a lo largo de la sucesión y que éste además está influido por la variación ambiental. En adición, tanto el patrón espacial como la respuesta a la variación ambiental de los diferentes gremios es distinta entre adultos y juveniles. Todo ello sugiere que el ensamblaje de la diversidad en los bosque montanos andinos está controlado por procesos deterministas más que por procesos neutrales. Para responder el segundo objetivo se estudiaron los efectos de la dependencia negativa de la densidad (DND) y la heterogeneidad ambiental en las poblaciones de dos especies de helechos arborescentes abundantes, Cyathea caracasana y Alsophila engelii, y cómo estos efectos cambian a través de un gradiente sucesional. Los patrones de especies albergan información sobre procesos tales como la competencia que puede ser revelado fácilmente utilizando técnicas de análisis de patrones punto. Sin embargo, su detección puede ser difícil debido a los efectos de factores de confusión heterogeneidad del hábitat. Aquí, empleamos funciones K y funciones de correlación de par homogéneas y no homogéneas para cuantificar el cambio en el patrón espacial de diferentes clases de tamaño con un diseño de casos-controles para estudiar las asociaciones entre helechos arborescentes jóvenes y adultos. Usando estimaciones espaciales de la biomasa de los cuatro tipos de gremios ecológicos (PVC, PVL, TPS, TS) como covariables, hemos ajustado modelos de Poisson heterogéneos a los patrones de puntos de de los helechos juveniles y los adultos y hemos explorado además la existencia de dependencia del hábitat en estos patrones. Nuestro estudio reveló efectos de la DND para C. caracasana y un fuerte filtrado ambiental que subyace al patrón de A. engelii. Encontramos también que las poblaciones de adultos y juveniles de ambas especies respondieron de manera diferente a la heterogeneidad del hábitat y en la mayoría de los casos esta heterogeneidad se asoció con la distribución espacial de la biomasa de los cuatro tipos de gremios. Estos resultados muestran la eficacia de controlar los efectos de la heterogeneidad ambiental para evitar su confusión con los patrones derivados de interacciones biológicas cuando se estudia la DND y demuestran la utilidad de los mapas de covariables derivados de comunidades biológicas como resumen de la heterogeneidad ambiental. Para nuestro tercer objetivo nos centramos en explorar cómo influyen las especies más abundantes en la organización espacial de la diversidad a lo largo de un gradiente sucesional en el bosque montano del sur del Ecuador. Para ello utilizamos la función ISAR (Individual Species Area Relationship). Encontramos que la frecuencia de especies neutras, repulsoras y acumuladoras de diversidad taxonómica varía dependiendo del grado de sucesión. Además se comprobó que la mayoría de los gremios forestales se comportó de forma neutral, pero la proporción de acumuladores, aumentó al avanzar la sucesión hacia estados más maduros, lo que indica el establecimiento de fuertes procesos competitivos a medida que avanza la sucesión y la mayor importancia del papel de las especies individuales en dichos estados. Finalmente, examinamos el efecto de la vecindad taxonómica y filogenética, así como la estrategia de vida, sobre la incidencia de la herbivoría y el parasitismo en las poblaciones de brinzales de tres fragmentos forestales en una secuencia sucesional del bosque montano húmedo. Evaluamos además los efectos de herbivoría, parasitismo, estrategia de vida y diferentes indicadores de la vecindad sobre la supervivencia de los brinzales. Por último contrastamos la posible existencia de una tendencia compensatoria de la comunidad (CCT) a nivel de fragmento forestal. Nuestros análisis no consiguieron detectar una CCT pero si pusieron de manifiesto la existencia de efectos locales de dependencia negativa de la densidad. Por ejemplo, la presencia de herbivoría y parasitismo sobre los brinzales se relacionó significativamente con una menor supervivencia de estos. Por otro lado, indicadores del efecto de la vecindad como la densidad de brinzales del mismo género y el área basal de árboles vecinos del mismo género incrementaron la prevalencia de la herbivoría o el parasitismo en los brinzales. El incremento de la incidencia de la herbivoría o el parasitismo no está exclusivamente ligado a tener una vecindad taxonómicamente idéntica (vecinos de la misma especie) sino que categorías taxonómicas más laxas como el "género" o simplemente relaciones de semejanza filogenética son capaces de predecir los efectos negativos de la vecindad. Los efectos detectados variaron en los diferentes grupos funcionales distinguidos. Los resultados que hemos obtenido en este trabajo parecen indicar que el funcionamiento de las comunidades de brinzales del bosque montano tropical no difiere mucho del reportado para comunidades de plántulas en otros bosques tropicales y cumple las predicciones de la hipótesis de Janzen y Connell, aunque matizadas por la mayor resistencia de los brinzales al efecto de herbivoría y parasitismo. ABSTRACT Many studies have described the composition and diversity of tropical montane forests, but the different spatial patterns and types of relationships between species or between functional groups has been poorly documented. This work was made in three completely surveyed forest plots at Biological Station "Chamusquin" (Zamora Chinchipe, Ecuador). Our main objective was to know the spatial structure and dynamics of the tropical montane forest in southern Ecuador, as well as the biotic interactions and abiotic constraints affecting this dynamic. More specifically, we aimed to understand the spatial patterns of ecological guilds; to explore the influence of negative density dependence on two species of tree ferns (Cyatheaceae); to determine whether some species or ecological groups structure spatially plant diversity in these forests; and to test the effects of biological neighborhood on the incidence of herbivory and parasitism and on the survival of saplings. We mapped within each plot all trees with DBH ≥5 cm. Besides, surface data variables and soil samples they were taken. The species found were classified according to their biological characteristics in four forest guilds: shade-tolerant (ST), partial shade tolerant (PST), long-lived pioneer (LLP) and short-lived pioneer (SLP). To analyze the spatial patterns of the ecological guilds, we employed the inhomogeneous version of Ripley's K-function and adjusted heterogeneity surfaces based on the spatial variation of the measured environmental variables. The results showed that both the relative frequency of each functional guild as well as their spatial pattern varied throughout succession and that the spatial pattern is explained by environmental variation. In addition, both spatial pattern and the response to spatial variation of each guild varied throughout ontogeny. All in all suggest that diversity assembly in the studied forests is ruled by deterministic instead of neutral processes. We also addressed the negative effects of density dependence (NDD) and environmental heterogeneity in populations of two species of abundant tree ferns, Cyathea caracasana and Alsophila engelii, and how these effects change across a successional gradient.. Here, we used homogeneous and inhomogeneous K and pair-correlation functions to quantify the change in the spatial pattern of different size classes with a case-control design to study associations between young and adult tree ferns. Using spatial estimates of the biomass of the four types of ecological guilds (SLP, LLP, PST, ST) as co-variables, we fitted heterogeneous Poisson models to juvenile and adult tree fern point patterns and explored the existence of habitat dependence. Our study revealed NDD effects for C. caracasana and strong environmental filtering underlying the pattern of A. engelii. We found that adult and juvenile populations of both species responded differently to habitat heterogeneity and in most cases this heterogeneity was associated with the spatial distribution of biomass of the four functional tree types. These findings show the effectiveness of factoring out environmental heterogeneity to avoid confounding factors when studying NDD and demonstrate the usefulness of covariate maps derived from mapped communities. For our third objective we focused on exploring how the most abundant species influence the spatial organization of tree diversity in these forests. For this, we used the individual species-area relationship function (ISAR). We found that the proportion of accumulator, repeller and neutral species, varied depending on the degree of succession. We found also that most guilds behaved neutrally but the proportion of accumulator guilds increased as succession advanced to more mature stages. This point, to the existence of strong competitive effects mediated by individual species in these mature forests. Finally, we examined the effects of life strategies and taxonomic and phylogenetic neighborhood on the incidence of herbivory and parasitism in the communities of saplings in the same forest fragments. We evaluated also the effects of life strategies, herbivory, parasitism and some indicators of neighborhood on sapling survival. Finally we tested for the existences of a compensatory community trend at plot scale. We did not found a CCT but we found proof of local NND effects. For instance, the prevalence of herbivory and parasitism were related to lower sapling survival. On the other hand the density of con-generic saplings and the basal area of neighbor con-generic trees were related to a higher prevalence of herbivory or parasitism in the saplings. We demonstrated that the increase in the prevalence of herbivory or parasitism it s not exclusive of a conspecific neighborhood but instead larger taxonomic categories such as "genus" or simple phylogenetic relationships are also able to predict NND effects. The NND effects varied among functional guilds. Our results show that the dynamic of sapling communities in Ecuadorian montane forests is similar to seedling dynamics in other tropical forest and follows the predictions of Janzen-Connell hypothesis, although softened by the strong resilience of saplings in comparison to seedlings.

Co-simulation Methodologies for Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Dynamics

In recent decades, full electric and hybrid electric vehicles have emerged as an alternative to conventional cars due to a range of factors, including environmental and economic aspects. These vehicles are the result of considerable efforts to seek ways of reducing the use of fossil fuel for vehicle propulsion. Sophisticated technologies such as hybrid and electric powertrains require careful study and optimization. Mathematical models play a key role at this point. Currently, many advanced mathematical analysis tools, as well as computer applications have been built for vehicle simulation purposes. Given the great interest of hybrid and electric powertrains, along with the increasing importance of reliable computer-based models, the author decided to integrate both aspects in the research purpose of this work. Furthermore, this is one of the first final degree projects held at the ETSII (Higher Technical School of Industrial Engineers) that covers the study of hybrid and electric propulsion systems. The present project is based on MBS3D 2.0, a specialized software for the dynamic simulation of multibody systems developed at the UPM Institute of Automobile Research (INSIA). Automobiles are a clear example of complex multibody systems, which are present in nearly every field of engineering. The work presented here benefits from the availability of MBS3D software. This program has proven to be a very efficient tool, with a highly developed underlying mathematical formulation. On this basis, the focus of this project is the extension of MBS3D features in order to be able to perform dynamic simulations of hybrid and electric vehicle models. This requires the joint simulation of the mechanical model of the vehicle, together with the model of the hybrid or electric powertrain. These sub-models belong to completely different physical domains. In fact the powertrain consists of energy storage systems, electrical machines and power electronics, connected to purely mechanical components (wheels, suspension, transmission, clutch…). The challenge today is to create a global vehicle model that is valid for computer simulation. Therefore, the main goal of this project is to apply co-simulation methodologies to a comprehensive model of an electric vehicle, where sub-models from different areas of engineering are coupled. The created electric vehicle (EV) model consists of a separately excited DC electric motor, a Li-ion battery pack, a DC/DC chopper converter and a multibody vehicle model. Co-simulation techniques allow car designers to simulate complex vehicle architectures and behaviors, which are usually difficult to implement in a real environment due to safety and/or economic reasons. In addition, multi-domain computational models help to detect the effects of different driving patterns and parameters and improve the models in a fast and effective way. Automotive designers can greatly benefit from a multidisciplinary approach of new hybrid and electric vehicles. In this case, the global electric vehicle model includes an electrical subsystem and a mechanical subsystem. The electrical subsystem consists of three basic components: electric motor, battery pack and power converter. A modular representation is used for building the dynamic model of the vehicle drivetrain. This means that every component of the drivetrain (submodule) is modeled separately and has its own general dynamic model, with clearly defined inputs and outputs. Then, all the particular submodules are assembled according to the drivetrain configuration and, in this way, the power flow across the components is completely determined. Dynamic models of electrical components are often based on equivalent circuits, where Kirchhoff’s voltage and current laws are applied to draw the algebraic and differential equations. Here, Randles circuit is used for dynamic modeling of the battery and the electric motor is modeled through the analysis of the equivalent circuit of a separately excited DC motor, where the power converter is included. The mechanical subsystem is defined by MBS3D equations. These equations consider the position, velocity and acceleration of all the bodies comprising the vehicle multibody system. MBS3D 2.0 is entirely written in MATLAB and the structure of the program has been thoroughly studied and understood by the author. MBS3D software is adapted according to the requirements of the applied co-simulation method. Some of the core functions are modified, such as integrator and graphics, and several auxiliary functions are added in order to compute the mathematical model of the electrical components. By coupling and co-simulating both subsystems, it is possible to evaluate the dynamic interaction among all the components of the drivetrain. ‘Tight-coupling’ method is used to cosimulate the sub-models. This approach integrates all subsystems simultaneously and the results of the integration are exchanged by function-call. This means that the integration is done jointly for the mechanical and the electrical subsystem, under a single integrator and then, the speed of integration is determined by the slower subsystem. Simulations are then used to show the performance of the developed EV model. However, this project focuses more on the validation of the computational and mathematical tool for electric and hybrid vehicle simulation. For this purpose, a detailed study and comparison of different integrators within the MATLAB environment is done. Consequently, the main efforts are directed towards the implementation of co-simulation techniques in MBS3D software. In this regard, it is not intended to create an extremely precise EV model in terms of real vehicle performance, although an acceptable level of accuracy is achieved. The gap between the EV model and the real system is filled, in a way, by introducing the gas and brake pedals input, which reflects the actual driver behavior. This input is included directly in the differential equations of the model, and determines the amount of current provided to the electric motor. For a separately excited DC motor, the rotor current is proportional to the traction torque delivered to the car wheels. Therefore, as it occurs in the case of real vehicle models, the propulsion torque in the mathematical model is controlled through acceleration and brake pedal commands. The designed transmission system also includes a reduction gear that adapts the torque coming for the motor drive and transfers it. The main contribution of this project is, therefore, the implementation of a new calculation path for the wheel torques, based on performance characteristics and outputs of the electric powertrain model. Originally, the wheel traction and braking torques were input to MBS3D through a vector directly computed by the user in a MATLAB script. Now, they are calculated as a function of the motor current which, in turn, depends on the current provided by the battery pack across the DC/DC chopper converter. The motor and battery currents and voltages are the solutions of the electrical ODE (Ordinary Differential Equation) system coupled to the multibody system. Simultaneously, the outputs of MBS3D model are the position, velocity and acceleration of the vehicle at all times. The motor shaft speed is computed from the output vehicle speed considering the wheel radius, the gear reduction ratio and the transmission efficiency. This motor shaft speed, somehow available from MBS3D model, is then introduced in the differential equations corresponding to the electrical subsystem. In this way, MBS3D and the electrical powertrain model are interconnected and both subsystems exchange values resulting as expected with tight-coupling approach.When programming mathematical models of complex systems, code optimization is a key step in the process. A way to improve the overall performance of the integration, making use of C/C++ as an alternative programming language, is described and implemented. Although this entails a higher computational burden, it leads to important advantages regarding cosimulation speed and stability. In order to do this, it is necessary to integrate MATLAB with another integrated development environment (IDE), where C/C++ code can be generated and executed. In this project, C/C++ files are programmed in Microsoft Visual Studio and the interface between both IDEs is created by building C/C++ MEX file functions. These programs contain functions or subroutines that can be dynamically linked and executed from MATLAB. This process achieves reductions in simulation time up to two orders of magnitude. The tests performed with different integrators, also reveal the stiff character of the differential equations corresponding to the electrical subsystem, and allow the improvement of the cosimulation process. When varying the parameters of the integration and/or the initial conditions of the problem, the solutions of the system of equations show better dynamic response and stability, depending on the integrator used. Several integrators, with variable and non-variable step-size, and for stiff and non-stiff problems are applied to the coupled ODE system. Then, the results are analyzed, compared and discussed. From all the above, the project can be divided into four main parts: 1. Creation of the equation-based electric vehicle model; 2. Programming, simulation and adjustment of the electric vehicle model; 3. Application of co-simulation methodologies to MBS3D and the electric powertrain subsystem; and 4. Code optimization and study of different integrators. Additionally, in order to deeply understand the context of the project, the first chapters include an introduction to basic vehicle dynamics, current classification of hybrid and electric vehicles and an explanation of the involved technologies such as brake energy regeneration, electric and non-electric propulsion systems for EVs and HEVs (hybrid electric vehicles) and their control strategies. Later, the problem of dynamic modeling of hybrid and electric vehicles is discussed. The integrated development environment and the simulation tool are also briefly described. The core chapters include an explanation of the major co-simulation methodologies and how they have been programmed and applied to the electric powertrain model together with the multibody system dynamic model. Finally, the last chapters summarize the main results and conclusions of the project and propose further research topics. In conclusion, co-simulation methodologies are applicable within the integrated development environments MATLAB and Visual Studio, and the simulation tool MBS3D 2.0, where equation-based models of multidisciplinary subsystems, consisting of mechanical and electrical components, are coupled and integrated in a very efficient way.

Análisis de la marcha: evaluación de un exoesqueleto aplicado a la marcha asistida

La marcha humana es el mecanismo de locomoción por el cual el cuerpo humano se traslada en línea recta gracias a una serie de movimientos coordinados de la pelvis y de las articulaciones del miembro inferior. Frecuentemente se encuentra influenciada por factores biomecánicos, anatómicos o patologías del sistema neuromusculoesquelético que modifican la forma de caminar de cada individuo. La lesión de médula espinal es una de las patologías que afectan el desarrollo normal de los patrones de la marcha por alteración de la movilidad, de la sensibilidad o del sistema nervioso autónomo. Aunque la lesión medular afecta otras funciones, además de la pérdida de función motora y sensorial, la recuperación de la capacidad de caminar es la mayor prioridad identificada por los pacientes durante la rehabilitación. Por ello, el desarrollo de dispositivos que faciliten la rehabilitación o compensación de la marcha es uno de los principales objetivos de diferentes grupos de investigación y empresas. En el contexto del proyecto Hybrid Technological Platform for Rehabilitation, Functional Compensation and Training of Gait in Spinal Cord Injury Patients se ha desarrollado un dispositivo que combina una órtesis activa (exoesqueleto) y un andador motorizado. Este sistema, como otros dispositivos, tiene el movimiento humano como estándar de referencia, no obstante no se evalúa de manera habitual, cómo es el patrón de la marcha reproducido y su similitud o diferencias con la marcha humana, o las modificaciones o adaptaciones en la interacción con el cuerpo del paciente. El presente estudio trata de examinar las características de la marcha normal en diversos grupos de población, y las diferencias con el patrón de marcha lenta. Finalmente, se pretende evaluar qué modificaciones y adaptaciones sufre el patrón de marcha lenta teórico al ser reproducido por el exoesqueleto. La presente investigación consiste en un estudio cuantitativo transversal desarrollado en dos etapas: estudio 1 y estudio 2. En el estudio 1 se analizó el patrón de la marcha a velocidad libremente seleccionada (normal) y el patrón de la marcha a velocidad lenta (0.25m/s) en 62 sujetos distribuidos en grupos considerando el sexo y los percentiles 25, 50 y 75 de estatura de la población española. Durante el estudio 2 se analizó el patrón de la marcha lenta reproducido por el dispositivo Hybrid a diferentes porcentajes de peso corporal (30%, 50% y 70%) en diez sujetos seleccionados aleatoriamente de la muestra del estudio 1. En ambos estudios se obtuvieron variables espacio-temporales y cinemáticas mediante un sistema de captura de movimiento con 6 cámaras distribuidas a lo largo de un pasillo de marcha. Se calcularon las medias, las desviaciones estándar y el 95% de intervalo de confianza, y el nivel alfa de significación se estableció en α=0.05 para todas las pruebas estadísticas. Las principales diferencias en el patrón normal de la marcha se encontraron en los parámetros cinemáticos de hombres y mujeres, aunque también se presentaron diferencias entre los grupos en función de la estatura. Las mujeres mostraron mayor flexión de cadera y rodilla, y mayor extensión de tobillo que los hombres durante el ciclo normal, aunque la basculación lateral de la pelvis, mayor en las mujeres, y el desplazamiento lateral del centro de gravedad, mayor en los hombres, fueron los parámetros identificados como principales discriminantes entre sexos. La disminución de la velocidad de la marcha mostró similares adaptaciones y modificaciones en hombres y en mujeres, presentándose un aumento de la fase de apoyo y una disminución de la fase de oscilación, un retraso de los máximos y mínimos de flexoextensión de cadera, rodilla y tobillo, y una disminución del rango articular en las tres articulaciones. Asimismo, la basculación lateral de la pelvis y el movimiento vertical del centro de gravedad disminuyeron, mientras que el movimiento lateral del centro de gravedad y el ancho de paso aumentaron. Durante la evaluación del patrón de la marcha reproducido por el exoesqueleto se observó que las tres articulaciones del miembro inferior disminuían el rango de movimiento por la falta de fuerza de los motores para contrarrestar el peso corporal, incluso con un 70% de descarga de peso. Además, la transferencia de peso se encontró limitada por la falta de movimiento de la pelvis en el plano frontal y se sustituyó por un aumento de la inclinación del tronco y, por tanto, del movimiento lateral del centro de gravedad. Este hecho, junto al aumento del desplazamiento vertical del centro de gravedad, hizo del patrón de la marcha reproducido por el exoesqueleto un movimiento poco eficiente. En conclusión, se establecen patrones de marcha normal diferenciados por sexos, siendo la basculación lateral de la pelvis y el movimiento lateral del centro de gravedad los parámetros discriminantes más característicos entre sexos. Comparando la marcha a velocidad libremente seleccionada y la velocidad lenta, se concluye que ambos sexos utilizan estrategias similares para adaptar el patrón de la marcha a una velocidad lenta y se mantienen las características diferenciadoras entre hombres y mujeres. En relación a la evaluación del dispositivo Hybrid, se deduce que la falta de movimiento lateral de la pelvis condiciona la transferencia de peso y el aumento del rango de movimiento del centro de gravedad y, en consecuencia, tiene como resultado un patrón de la marcha poco eficiente. Este patrón no resultaría indicado para los procesos de rehabilitación o recuperación de la marcha, aunque podría considerarse adecuado para la compensación funcional de la bipedestación y la locomoción. ABSTRACT The human walking is a means of moving body forward using a repetitious and coordinated sequence of pelvis and lower limb motions. It is frequently influenced by biomechanical and anatomical factors or by musculoskeletal pathologies which modify the way of walking. The spinal injury is one of those pathologies which affect the normal pattern of walking, due to the alteration of the mobility, the sensory or the autonomic nervous system. Although the spinal injury affects many other body functions, apart from the motor and sensory ones, the main priority for patients is to recover the ability of walking. Consequently, the main objective of many research groups and private companies is the development of rehabilitation and compensation devices for walking. In this context, the Hybrid Technological Platform for Rehabilitation, Functional Compensation and Training of Gait in Spinal Cord Injury Patients project has developed a device which integrates an exoskeleton and a motorized smart walker. This system, as other similar devices, has the human movement as standard reference. Nevertheless, these devices are not usually evaluated on the way they reproduce the normal human pattern or on the modifications and in the interactions with the patient’s body. The aim of the present study is to examine the normal walking characteristics, to analyze the differences between self-selected and low speed walking patterns, and to evaluate the modifications and adaptations of walking pattern when it is reproduced by the exoskeleton. The present research is a quantitative cross-sectional study carried out in two phases: study 1 and study 2. During the study 1, the self-selected and the low speed (0.25m/s) walking patterns were analyzed in sixty-two people distributed in groups, according to sex and 25th, 50th and 75th percentiles of height for Spanish population. The study 2 analyzed the low speed walking pattern reproduced by the Hybrid system in three conditions: 30%, 50% and 70% of body weight support. To do this, ten subjects were randomly selected and analyzed from the people of study 1. An optoelectronic system with six cameras was used to obtain spatial, temporal and kinematic parameters in both studies. Means, standard deviations and 95% confidence intervals of the study were calculated. The alpha level of significance was set at α=0.05 for all statistical tests. The main differences in normal gait pattern were found in kinematic parameters between men and women. The hip and the knee were more flexed and the ankle plantar flexion was higher in women than in men during normal gait cycle. Although the greater pelvic obliquity of women and the higher lateral movement of center of gravity of men were the most relevant discriminators between male and female gait patterns. Comparing self-selected and low speed walking patterns, both sexes showed similar adaptations and modifications. At low speed walking, men and women increased the stance phase ratio and decreased the swing phase ratio. The maximum and minimum peak flexion of hip, knee and ankle appeared after and the range of motion of them decreased during low speed walking. Furthermore, the pelvic obliquity and the vertical movement of the center of gravity decreased, whereas the lateral movement of center of gravity and step width increased. Evaluating the gait pattern reproduced by the exoskeleton, a decrease of lower limb range of motion was observed. This was probably due to the lack of strength of the engines, which were not able to control the body weight, even with the 70% supported. Moreover, the weight transfer from one limb to the contralateral side was restricted due to the lack of pelvis obliquity. This movement deficiency was replaced by the lateral torso sway and, consequently, the increase of lateral movement of the center of gravity. This fact, as well as the increase of the vertical displacement of the center of gravity, made inefficient the gait pattern reproduced by the exoskeleton. In conclusion, different gait patterns of both sexes have been determined, being pelvis obliquity and lateral movement of center of gravity the most relevant discriminators between male and female gait patterns. Comparing self-selected and low speed walking patterns, it was concluded that both sexes use similar strategies for adapting the gait pattern to a low speed, and therefore, the differentiating characteristics of normal gait are maintained. Regarding the Hybrid system evaluation, it was determined that the gait pattern reproduced by the exoskeleton is inefficient. This was due to the lack of pelvis obliquity and the increase of the center of gravity displacement. Consequently, whereas the walking pattern reproduced by the exoskeleton would not be appropriated for the rehabilitation process, it could be considered suitable for functional compensation of walking and standing.