NEW ROLE OF COOPERATIVES IN ETHIOPIA: THE CASE OF ETHIOPIAN COFFEE FARMERS COOPERATIVES

Since 1991, policies of economic liberalization in Ethiopia have been effective in releasing the economy from rigid state control. At the same time, they have also exposed Ethiopian people to domestic and international free market competition. In African countries, the retreat of governments from rural development due to economic liberalization policies has led to the re-evaluation of the role of cooperatives. Since 1999, in Ethiopia, several coffee farmers cooperative unions have been established to support peasants who are handicapped by their lack of negotiating power in the global economy. Coffee cooperatives have become market-oriented and are now relatively democratic compared to the former Marxist cooperatives of the previous regime. Thus far, these coffee cooperatives have provided higher profits to coffee farmers than have private traders. The actual volume of purchase, however, is limited　due to financial constraints. Because of this, the majority of cooperatives continues to rely on conventional marketing channels rather than on unions. Considering their weak financial condition, it is too early to judge the sustainability of the cooperatives because international prices have been high recently, and it is not yet clear how they would survive a downward international price trend.

Professional Liability of the Construction Professional as an Expert Witness in the Spanish Legal Framework

Inside COBRA 2011 RICS International Research Conference, the present paper is linked to analyze the liability of the construction professional in his practice as a expert witness in the Spanish legal framework. In a large number of legal procedures related to the building it is necessary the intervention of the expert witness to report on the subject of litigation, and to give an opinion about possible causes and solutions. This field is increasingly importantly for the practice of construction professional that requires an important specialization. The expert provides his knowledge to the judge in the matter he is dealing with (construction, planning, assessment, legal, ...), providing arguments or reasons as the base for his case and acting as part of the evidence. Although the importance of expert intervention in the judicial process, the responsibilities arising from their activity is a slightly studied field. Therefore, the study has as purpose to think about the regulation of professional activities raising different aims. The first is to define the action of the construction professional-expert witness and the need for expert evidence, establishing the legal implications of this professional activity. The different types of responsibilities (the civil, criminal and administrative) have been established as well as the economic, penal or disciplinary damages that can be derived from the expert report

Using Provenance for Quality Assessment and Repair in Linked Open Data

As the number of data sources publishing their data on the Web of Data is growing, we are experiencing an immense growth of the Linked Open Data cloud. The lack of control on the published sources, which could be untrustworthy or unreliable, along with their dynamic nature that often invalidates links and causes conflicts or other discrepancies, could lead to poor quality data. In order to judge data quality, a number of quality indicators have been proposed, coupled with quality metrics that quantify the “quality level” of a dataset. In addition to the above, some approaches address how to improve the quality of the datasets through a repair process that focuses on how to correct invalidities caused by constraint violations by either removing or adding triples. In this paper we argue that provenance is a critical factor that should be taken into account during repairs to ensure that the most reliable data is kept. Based on this idea, we propose quality metrics that take into account provenance and evaluate their applicability as repair guidelines in a particular data fusion setting.

A new generation of real-time systems in the JET tokamak

Recently a new recipe for developing and deploying real-time systems has become increasingly adopted in the JET tokamak. Powered by the advent of x86 multi-core technology and the reliability of the JET’s well established Real-Time Data Network (RTDN) to handle all real-time I/O, an official Linux vanilla kernel has been demonstrated to be able to provide realtime performance to user-space applications that are required to meet stringent timing constraints. In particular, a careful rearrangement of the Interrupt ReQuests’ (IRQs) affinities together with the kernel’s CPU isolation mechanism allows to obtain either soft or hard real-time behavior depending on the synchronization mechanism adopted. Finally, the Multithreaded Application Real-Time executor (MARTe) framework is used for building applications particularly optimised for exploring multicore architectures. In the past year, four new systems based on this philosophy have been installed and are now part of the JET’s routine operation. The focus of the present work is on the configuration and interconnection of the ingredients that enable these new systems’ real-time capability and on the impact that JET’s distributed real-time architecture has on system engineering requirements, such as algorithm testing and plant commissioning. Details are given about the common real-time configuration and development path of these systems, followed by a brief description of each system together with results regarding their real-time performance. A cycle time jitter analysis of a user-space MARTe based application synchronising over a network is also presented. The goal is to compare its deterministic performance while running on a vanilla and on a Messaging Real time Grid (MRG) Linux kernel.

Implementation of the disruption predictor APODIS in JET Real Time Network using the MARTe framework

Disruptions in tokamaks devices are unavoidable, and they can have a significant impact on machine integrity. So it is very important have mechanisms to predict this phenomenon. Disruption prediction is a very complex task, not only because it is a multi-dimensional problem, but also because in order to be effective, it has to detect well in advance the actual disruptive event, in order to be able to use successful mitigation strategies. With these constraints in mind a real-time disruption predictor has been developed to be used in JET tokamak. The predictor has been designed to run in the Multithreaded Application Real-Time executor (MARTe) framework. The predictor ?Advanced Predictor Of DISruptions? (APODIS) is based on Support Vector Machine (SVM).

Estimación de la peligrosidad sísmica mediante protocolos de juicios de expertos

Este trabajo estudia la aportación que los métodos de agregación de juicios de expertos pueden realizar en el cálculo de la peligrosidad sísmica de emplazamientos. Se han realizado cálculos en dos emplazamientos de la Península Ibérica: Mugardos (La Coruña) y Cofrentes (Valencia) que están sometidos a regímenes tectónicos distintos y que, además, alojan instalaciones industriales de gran responsabilidad. Las zonas de estudio, de 320 Km de radio, son independientes. Se ha aplicado un planteamiento probabilista a la estimación de la tasa anual de superación de valores de la aceleración horizontal de pico y se ha utilizado el Método de Montecarlo para incorporar a los resultados la incertidumbre presente en los datos relativos a la definición de cada fuente sismogenética y de su sismicidad. Los cálculos se han operado mediante un programa de ordenador, desarrollado para este trabajo, que utiliza la metodología propuesta por el Senior Seismic Hazard Analysis Commitee (1997) para la NRC. La primera conclusión de los resultados ha sido que la Atenuación es la fuente principal de incertidumbre en las estimaciones de peligrosidad en ambos casos. Dada la dificultad de completar los datos históricos disponibles de esta variable se ha estudiado el comportamiento de cuatro métodos matemáticos de agregación de juicios de expertos a la hora de estimar una ley de atenuación en un emplazamiento. Los datos de partida se han obtenido del Catálogo de Isosistas del IGN. Los sismos utilizados como variables raíz se han elegido con el criterio de cubrir uniformemente la serie histórica disponible y los valores de magnitud observados. Se ha asignado un panel de expertos particular a cada uno de los dos emplazamientos y se han aplicado a sus juicios los métodos de Cooke, equipesos, Apostolakis_Mosleh y Morris. Sus propuestas se han comparado con los datos reales para juzgar su eficacia y su facilidad de operación. A partir de los resultados se ha concluido que el método de Cooke ha mostrado el comportamiento más eficiente y robusto para ambos emplazamientos. Este método, además, ha permitido identificar, razonadamente, a aquellos expertos que no deberían haberse introducido en un panel. The present work analyses the possible contribution of the mathematical methods of aggregation in the assessment of Seismic Hazzard. Two sites, in the Iberian Peninsula, have been considered: Mugardos ( La Coruña) and Cofrentes (Valencia).Both of them are subjected to different tectonic regimes an both accommodate high value industrial plants. Their areas of concern, with radius of 320 Km, are not overlapping. A probabilistic approach has been applied in the assessment the annual probability of exceedence of the horizontal peak acceleration. The Montecarlo Method has allowed to transfer the uncertainty in the models and parameters to the final results. A computer program has been developed for this purpose. The methodology proposed by the Senior Seismic Analysis Committee (1997) for the NRC has been considered. Attenuation in Ground motion has been proved to be the main source of uncertainty in seismic hazard for both sites. Taking into account the difficulties to complete existing historical data in this subject the performance of four mathematical methods of aggregation has been studied. Original data have been obtained from the catalogs of the Spanish National Institute of Geography. The seismic events considered were chosen to cover evenly the historical records and the observed values of magnitude. A panel of experts have been applied to each site and four aggregation methods have been developed : equal weights, Cooke, Apostolakis-Mosleh and Morris The four proposals have been compaired with the actual data to judge their performance and ease of application. The results have shown that the Method of Cooke have proved the most efficient and robust for both sites. This method, besides, allow the reasoned identification of those experts who should be rejected from the panel

Simulation, Design and Analysis of Air-Breathing Combined-Cycle Engines for High Speed Propulsion

Desde la aparición del turborreactor, el motor aeróbico con turbomaquinaria ha demostrado unas prestaciones excepcionales en los regímenes subsónico y supersónico bajo. No obstante, la operación a velocidades superiores requiere sistemas más complejos y pesados, lo cual ha imposibilitado la ejecución de estos conceptos. Los recientes avances tecnológicos, especialmente en materiales ligeros, han restablecido el interés por los motores de ciclo combinado. La simulación numérica de estos nuevos conceptos es esencial para estimar las prestaciones de la planta propulsiva, así como para abordar las dificultades de integración entre célula y motor durante las primeras etapas de diseño. Al mismo tiempo, la evaluación de estos extraordinarios motores requiere una metodología de análisis distinta. La tesis doctoral versa sobre el diseño y el análisis de los mencionados conceptos propulsivos mediante el modelado numérico y la simulación dinámica con herramientas de vanguardia. Las distintas arquitecturas presentadas por los ciclos combinados basados en sendos turborreactor y motor cohete, así como los diversos sistemas comprendidos en cada uno de ellos, hacen necesario establecer una referencia común para su evaluación. Es más, la tendencia actual hacia aeronaves "más eléctricas" requiere una nueva métrica para juzgar la aptitud de un proceso de generación de empuje en el que coexisten diversas formas de energía. A este respecto, la combinación del Primer y Segundo Principios define, en un marco de referencia absoluto, la calidad de la trasferencia de energía entre los diferentes sistemas. Esta idea, que se ha estado empleando desde hace mucho tiempo en el análisis de plantas de potencia terrestres, ha sido extendida para relacionar la misión de la aeronave con la ineficiencia de cada proceso involucrado en la generación de empuje. La metodología se ilustra mediante el estudio del motor de ciclo combinado variable de una aeronave para el crucero a Mach 5. El diseño de un acelerador de ciclo combinado basado en el turborreactor sirve para subrayar la importancia de la integración del motor y la célula. El diseño está limitado por la trayectoria ascensional y el espacio disponible en la aeronave de crucero supersónico. Posteriormente se calculan las prestaciones instaladas de la planta propulsiva en función de la velocidad y la altitud de vuelo y los parámetros de control del motor: relación de compresión, relación aire/combustible y área de garganta. ABSTRACT Since the advent of the turbojet, the air-breathing engine with rotating machinery has demonstrated exceptional performance in the subsonic and low supersonic regimes. However, the operation at higher speeds requires further system complexity and weight, which so far has impeded the realization of these concepts. Recent technology developments, especially in lightweight materials, have restored the interest towards combined-cycle engines. The numerical simulation of these new concepts is essential at the early design stages to compute a first estimate of the engine performance in addition to addressing airframe-engine integration issues. In parallel, a different analysis methodology is required to evaluate these unconventional engines. The doctoral thesis concerns the design and analysis of the aforementioned engine concepts by means of numerical modeling and dynamic simulation with state-of-the-art tools. A common reference is needed to evaluate the different architectures of the turbine and the rocket-based combined-cycle engines as well as the various systems within each one of them. Furthermore, the actual trend towards more electric aircraft necessitates a common metric to judge the suitability of a thrust generation process where different forms of energy coexist. In line with this, the combination of the First and the Second Laws yields the quality of the energy being transferred between the systems on an absolute reference frame. This idea, which has been since long applied to the analysis of on-ground power plants, was extended here to relate the aircraft mission with the inefficiency of every process related to the thrust generation. The methodology is illustrated with the study of a variable- combined-cycle engine for a Mach 5 cruise aircraft. The design of a turbine-based combined-cycle booster serves to highlight the importance of the engine-airframe integration. The design is constrained by the ascent trajectory and the allocated space in the supersonic cruise aircraft. The installed performance of the propulsive plant is then computed as a function of the flight speed and altitude and the engine control parameters: pressure ratio, air-to-fuel ratio and throat area.

La evaluación como herramienta para la mejora de planes,programas y proyectos: evolución y contribuciones al desarrollo rural.

Evaluation is a new discipline and, whilst it has a long way to go, it has already made many advances. The growing importance of this field is exemplified in its increasing use in international organizations and public policies at a national, regional or local level, as well as in the exponential growth of evaluation societies around the world. The expansion of an ?evaluation culture? is explained by its significant utility by providing evidence to help decision-making and by providing a value system that establishes criteria and explicit standards by which to judge the interventions. These contributions have great relevance in the rural development field,thus, evaluation has become a great support for achieving sustainable development processes.

Reporting experiments to satisfy professionals information needs

Although the aim of empirical software engineering is to provide evidence for selecting the appropriate technology, it appears that there is a lack of recognition of this work in industry. Results from empirical research only rarely seem to find their way to company decision makers. If information relevant for software managers is provided in reports on experiments, such reports can be considered as a source of information for them when they are faced with making decisions about the selection of software engineering technologies. To bridge this communication gap between researchers and professionals, we propose characterizing the information needs of software managers in order to show empirical software engineering researchers which information is relevant for decision-making and thus enable them to make this information available. We empirically investigated decision makers? information needs to identify which information they need to judge the appropriateness and impact of a software technology. We empirically developed a model that characterizes these needs. To ensure that researchers provide relevant information when reporting results from experiments, we extended existing reporting guidelines accordingly.We performed an experiment to evaluate our model with regard to its effectiveness. Software managers who read an experiment report according to the proposed model judged the technology?s appropriateness significantly better than those reading a report about the same experiment that did not explicitly address their information needs. Our research shows that information regarding a technology, the context in which it is supposed to work, and most importantly, the impact of this technology on development costs and schedule as well as on product quality is crucial for decision makers.