Assessing the assignation of public subsidies: Do the experts choose the most efficient R and D projects?

[spa] La implementación de un programa de subvenciones públicas a proyectos empresariales de I+D comporta establecer un sistema de selección de proyectos. Esta selección se enfrenta a problemas relevantes, como son la medición del posible rendimiento de los proyectos de I+D y la optimización del proceso de selección entre proyectos con múltiples y a veces incomparables medidas de resultados. Las agencias públicas utilizan mayoritariamente el método peer review que, aunque presenta ventajas, no está exento de críticas. En cambio, las empresas privadas con el objetivo de optimizar su inversión en I+D utilizan métodos más cuantitativos, como el Data Envelopment Análisis (DEA). En este trabajo se compara la actuación de los evaluadores de una agencia pública (peer review) con una metodología alternativa de selección de proyectos como es el DEA.

SIMSAFADIM-CLASTIC: A new approach to mathematical 3D forward simulation modelling for terrigenous and carbonate marine sedimentation

Most sedimentary modelling programs developed in recent years focus on either terrigenous or carbonate marine sedimentation. Nevertheless, only a few programs have attempted to consider mixed terrigenous-carbonate sedimentation, and most of these are two-dimensional, which is a major restriction since geological processes take place in 3D. This paper presents the basic concepts of a new 3D mathematical forward simulation model for clastic sediments, which was developed from SIMSAFADIM, a previous 3D carbonate sedimentation model. The new extended model, SIMSAFADIM-CLASTIC, simulates processes of autochthonous marine carbonate production and accumulation, together with clastic transport and sedimentation in three dimensions of both carbonate and terrigenous sediments. Other models and modelling strategies may also provide realistic and efficient tools for prediction of stratigraphic architecture and facies distribution of sedimentary deposits. However, SIMSAFADIM-CLASTIC becomes an innovative model that attempts to simulate different sediment types using a process-based approach, therefore being a useful tool for 3D prediction of stratigraphic architecture and facies distribution in sedimentary basins. This model is applied to the neogene Vallès-Penedès half-graben (western Mediterranean, NE Spain) to show the capacity of the program when applied to a realistic geologic situation involving interactions between terrigenous clastics and carbonate sediments.

Audit report on Highway Safety Projects administered by The Integer Group Midwest for the year ended September 30, 2007

Audit report on Highway Safety Projects administered by The Integer Group Midwest for the year ended September 30, 2007

Audit report on Highway Safety Projects administered by The Integer Group Midwest for the year ended September 30, 2008

Audit report on Highway Safety Projects administered by The Integer Group Midwest for the year ended September 30, 2008

Critical behavior of a system with orientational and positional degrees of freedom: A Monte Carlo simulation study

The critical behavior of a system constituted by molecules with a preferred symmetry axis is studied by means of a Monte Carlo simulation of a simplified two-dimensional model. The system exhibits two phase transitions, associated with the vanishing of the positional order of the center of mass of the molecules and with the orientational order of the symmetry axis. The evolution of the order parameters and the specific heat is also studied. The transition associated with the positional degrees of freedom is found to change from a second-order to a first-order behavior when the two phase transitions are close enough, due to the coupling with the orientational degrees of freedom. This fact is qualitatively compared with similar results found in pure liquid crystals and liquid-crystal mixtures.

Audit report on Highway Safety Projects administered by The Integer Group Midwest for the year ended September 30, 2009

Audit report on Highway Safety Projects administered by The Integer Group Midwest for the year ended September 30, 2009

Monte Carlo simulation of interface alloying

An Ising-like model, with interactions ranging up to next-nearest-neighbor pairs, is used to simulate the process of interface alloying. Interactions are chosen to stabilize an intermediate "antiferromagnetic" ordered structure. The dynamics proceeds exclusively by atom-vacancy exchanges. In order to characterize the process, the time evolution of the width of the intermediate ordered region and the diffusion length is studied. Both lengths are found to follow a power-law evolution with exponents depending on the characteristic features of the model.

Modeling premartensitic effects in Ni2MnGa: A mean-field and Monte Carlo simulation study

ic first-order transition line ending in a critical point. This critical point is responsible for the existence of large premartensitic fluctuations which manifest as broad peaks in the specific heat, not always associated with a true phase transition. The main conclusion is that premartensitic effects result from the interplay between the softness of the anomalous phonon driving the modulation and the magnetoelastic coupling. In particular, the premartensitic transition occurs when such coupling is strong enough to freeze the involved mode phonon. The implication of the results in relation to the available experimental data is discussed.

E-learning initiatives in forensic interpretation: report on experiences from current projects and outlook

This paper reports on the purpose, design, methodology and target audience of E-learning courses in forensic interpretation offered by the authors since 2010, including practical experiences made throughout the implementation period of this project. This initiative was motivated by the fact that reporting results of forensic examinations in a logically correct and scientifically rigorous way is a daily challenge for any forensic practitioner. Indeed, interpretation of raw data and communication of findings in both written and oral statements are topics where knowledge and applied skills are needed. Although most forensic scientists hold educational records in traditional sciences, only few actually followed full courses that focussed on interpretation issues. Such courses should include foundational principles and methodology - including elements of forensic statistics - for the evaluation of forensic data in a way that is tailored to meet the needs of the criminal justice system. In order to help bridge this gap, the authors' initiative seeks to offer educational opportunities that allow practitioners to acquire knowledge and competence in the current approaches to the evaluation and interpretation of forensic findings. These cover, among other aspects, probabilistic reasoning (including Bayesian networks and other methods of forensic statistics, tools and software), case pre-assessment, skills in the oral and written communication of uncertainty, and the development of independence and self-confidence to solve practical inference problems. E-learning was chosen as a general format because it helps to form a trans-institutional online-community of practitioners from varying forensic disciplines and workfield experience such as reporting officers, (chief) scientists, forensic coordinators, but also lawyers who all can interact directly from their personal workplaces without consideration of distances, travel expenses or time schedules. In the authors' experience, the proposed learning initiative supports participants in developing their expertise and skills in forensic interpretation, but also offers an opportunity for the associated institutions and the forensic community to reinforce the development of a harmonized view with regard to interpretation across forensic disciplines, laboratories and judicial systems.

Audit report on Highway Safety Projects administered by The Integer Group Midwest for the year ended September 30, 2010

Audit report on Highway Safety Projects administered by The Integer Group Midwest for the year ended September 30, 2010

Application of Visualization and Simulation Program to Improve Work Zone Safety and Mobility, January 2010

A previous study sponsored by the Smart Work Zone Deployment Initiative, “Feasibility of Visualization and Simulation Applications to Improve Work Zone Safety and Mobility,” demonstrated the feasibility of combining readily available, inexpensive software programs, such as SketchUp and Google Earth, with standard two-dimensional civil engineering design programs, such as MicroStation, to create animations of construction work zones. The animations reflect changes in work zone configurations as the project progresses, representing an opportunity to visually present complex information to drivers, construction workers, agency personnel, and the general public. The purpose of this study is to continue the work from the previous study to determine the added value and resource demands created by including more complex data, specifically traffic volume, movement, and vehicle type. This report describes the changes that were made to the simulation, including incorporating additional data and converting the simulation from a desktop application to a web application.