Compatison of S-SI, A-SI and CDTE technologies wording at the same conditions, after the first year of electricity production

Grid connected solar plants are a good opportunity for their use for research as a secondary objective. In countries were feed-in tariffs are still active, it is possible to include in the design of the solar plant elements for its use for research. In the case of the solar plant presented here both objectives are covered. The solar plant of this work is formed by PV modules of three different technologies: Multicrystalline, amorphous and CdTe. In one part of the solar plant, the three technologies are working at the same conditions, not only ambient conditions but also similar voltage and current input to the inverters. Both the commercial and the experimental parts of the solar plant have their own independent inverters with their meters but are finally connected to the same meter to inject. In this work we analyse the results for the first year of operation of the experimental solar plant. Productions of three different technologies in exactly the same conditions are compared and presented. According to the results, all the three technologies have conversion efficiencies dropping when the temperature increases. Amorphous module experiences the lesser reduction, whereas the multicrystalline module suffers the most.

Capacity Building through education, research and collaboration: AFRICA BUILD, an eHealth Case Study

AFRICA BUILD (AB) is a Coordination Action project under the 7th European Framework Programme having the aim of improving the capacities for health research and education in Africa through Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). This project, started in 2012, has promoted health research, education and evidence-based practice in Africa through the creation of centers of excellence, by using ICT,?know-how?, eLearning and knowledge sharing, through Web-enabled virtual communities.

Análisis sistemático de pautas para la accesibilidad TIC para personas con discapacidad cognitiva

Este trabajo de investigación presenta los resultados de una revisión sistemática realizada a partir de la recopilación, lectura y análisis de distintas fuentes bibliográficas dentro de un conjunto heterogéneo consistente de 175 estudios que forman la base bibliográfica actual del documento “Cognitive Accessibility User Research” (W3C, 2015a) del W3C. Esta base bibliográfica está compuesta por publicaciones científicas basadas en libros, artículos, conferencias y sitios Web especializados, en los cuales se potencia como objeto particular de análisis, la indagación en la búsqueda de pautas de accesibilidad en las tecnologías Web que apoyen la integración a personas con discapacidad cognitiva. Como parte de este proceso de investigación se ha recopilado y descrito la situación actual, particularmente, de los retos en la utilización de las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación (TIC) en relación a personas con dificultades de aprendizaje o discapacidades cognitivas, tales como la Dislexia, Afasia, Trastorno de Aprendizaje No verbal, Envejecimiento-Demencia, Trastornos por Déficit de Atención con o sin Hiperactividad, Autismo, Síndrome de Down y Discalculia. Como aporte primordial de este Trabajo Fin de Master (TFM), se intenta trazar una línea de criterios que permitan la evaluación objetiva de este tópico, con miras a ofrecer un enfoque práctico y reciente sobre ésta temática, mostrando de forma esquematizada las pautas existentes y sirviendo de síntesis orientativa para el diseño accesible de las TIC con la finalidad de promover un soporte real a personas con los tipo de discapacidad cognitiva en los que se ha enfocado esta investigación. Logrando obtener como resultado principal de este estudio, 36 pautas generales que agrupan las coincidencias del grupo de discapacidades estudiadas y que han sido distribuidas en categorías: texto, navegación y generales, para su mejor interpretación y manejo de la Accesibilidad en las TIC´S para Personas con Discapacidad Cognitiva.---ABSTRACT---This research presents the results of a systematic review from collecting, reading and analysis of different bibliographic sources within a heterogeneous group consisting of 175 studies that form the basis of current literature document "Accessibility User Cognitive Research" (W3C , 2015th) of the W3C. This bibliographic database is composed of scientific publications based on books, articles, lectures and specialized Web sites, in which is enhanced as a particular object of analysis, the inquiry into the search for accessibility guidelines for Web technologies to support integration of people with cognitive disabilities. As part of this research process, the current situation has been collected and described, particularly the challenges in the use of information and communications technology (ICT) in relation to people with learning disabilities or cognitive disabilities, such as Dyslexia, aphasia, nonverbal learning disorder, aging-Dementia, Attention Deficit Disorders with or without hyperactivity, autism, Down syndrome and dyscalculia. As primary contribution of this Master's Thesis (TFM), it tries to draw a line of criteria to allow an objective assessment of this topic, in order to provide a practical and recent focus on this theme, showing schematically existing guidelines and serving as guidance for accessible design of ICT in order to promote a real support to people with cognitive disabilities where this research has focused on. Managing to obtain the main result of this study, 36 general guidelines that group the set of disabilities studied and have been distributed in categories: text, navigation and general, for better interpretation and management of ICTs for Accessibility people with cognitive disabilities.

Estudio y simulación de sistemas de comunicaciones digitales TCM

Desde que las Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación comenzaron a adquirir una gran importancia en la sociedad, uno de los principales objetivos ha sido conseguir que la información transmitida llegue en perfectas condiciones al receptor. Por este motivo, se hace necesario el desarrollo de nuevos sistemas de comunicación digital capaces de ofrecer una transmisión segura y fiable. Con el paso de los años, se han ido mejorando las características de los mismos, lo que significa importantes avances en la vida cotidiana. En este contexto, uno de los sistemas que más éxito ha tenido es la Modulación Reticulada con Codificación TCM, que aporta grandes ventajas en la comunicación digital, especialmente en los sistemas de banda estrecha. Este tipo de código de protección contra errores, basado en la codificación convolucional, se caracteriza por realizar la modulación y codificación en una sola función. Como consecuencia, se obtiene una mayor velocidad de transmisión de datos sin necesidad de incrementar el ancho de banda, a costa de pasar a una constelación superior. Con este Proyecto Fin de Grado se quiere analizar el comportamiento de la modulación TCM y cuáles son las ventajas que ofrece frente a otros sistemas similares. Se propone realizar cuatro simulaciones, que permitan visualizar diversas gráficas en las que se relacione la probabilidad de bit erróneo BER y la relación señal a ruido SNR. Además, con estas gráficas se puede determinar la ganancia que se obtiene con respecto a la probabilidad de bit erróneo teórica. Estos sistemas pasan de una modulación QPSK a una 8PSK o de una 8PSK a una 16QAM. Finalmente, se desarrolla un entorno gráfico de Matlab con el fin de proporcionar un sencillo manejo al usuario y una mayor interactividad. ABSTRACT. Since Information and Communication Technologies began to gain importance on society, one of the main objectives has been to achieve the transmitted information reaches the receiver perfectly. For this reason, it is necessary to develop new digital communication systems with the ability to offer a secure and reliable transmission. The systems characteristics have improved over the past years, what it means important progress in everyday life. In this context, one of the most successful systems is Trellis Coded Modulation TCM, that brings great advantages in terms of digital communications, especially narrowband systems. This kind of error correcting code, based on convolutional coding, is characterized by codifying and modulating at the same time. As a result, a higher data transmission speed is achieved without increasing bandwidth at the expense of using a superior modulation. The aim of this project is to analyze the TCM performance and the advantages it offers in comparison with other similar systems. Four simulations are proposed, that allows to display several graphics that show how the Bit Error Ratio BER and Signal Noise Ratio SNR are related. Furthermore, it is possible to calculate the coding gain. Finally, a Matlab graphic environment is designed in order to guarantee the interactivity with the final user.

Validación de un marco abierto accesible de tercera generación para la integración nativa de productos de apoyo en tecnologías de la información y la comunicación

Las personas con discapacidad a menudo se encuentran con problemas de acceso a las Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación (TIC), debido a diseños y desarrollos que no tienen en cuenta sus diferencias funcionales, y en consecuencia se encuentran en riesgo de exclusión social. Cada vez es más común encontrar productos de apoyo que permitan utilizar diferentes tecnologías (ordenadores, Internet, dispositivos móviles), pero muchos de ellos no se encuentran integrados debido a que funcionan esencialmente modificando la plataforma donde están instalados, siendo soluciones de acceso de segunda generación. Más allá del desarrollo de los productos de apoyo, que sin duda ha evolucionado positivamente en los últimos años, cabe resaltar que existe una falta de herramientas y de aproximación holística que ayuden a los desarrolladores y diseñadores hacer las TIC accesibles. Esta tesis doctoral pretende validar la hipótesis de que una metodología holística de desarrollo de aplicaciones y productos de apoyo TIC, llamada Marco Abierto Accesible, facilita el desarrollo y la integración de modo nativo de la accesibilidad en las aplicaciones y productos apoyo, independientemente de la tecnología utilizada, dando lugar a soluciones de acceso de tercera generación que permitan mejorar la utilización de dichas aplicaciones por parte de personas con discapacidad. Este trabajo se ha desarrollado en el marco del proyecto AEGIS (del inglés, open Accessibility Everywhere: Groundwork, Infrastructure, Standards), que fue parcialmente financiado por la Comisión Europea (CE) bajo el VII Programa Marco y tuvo una duración de cuatro años. La metodología para el diseño, desarrollo y validación seguida en esta tesis es una adaptación de dos metodologías de diseño existentes (el Diseño Centrado en el Usuario y el Diseño Orientado a Metas), la implementación del Marco Abierto Accesible y el uso de diferentes técnicas de validación. Además se ha desarrollado un marco metodológico de entrenamiento para minimizar el efecto que tiene la curva de aprendizaje cuando los usuarios prueban por primera vez las soluciones desarrolladas. En esta tesis se presenta el Marco Abierto Accesible aplicado a las TIC en las tres áreas en las que se desarrolla este trabajo: ordenadores, Internet y dispositivos móviles, partiendo de las necesidades y problemas que tienen los usuarios con discapacidad en el uso de las TIC. Diferentes instanciaciones del Marco Abierto Accesible se definen en las tres áreas TIC mencionadas anteriormente y se describen varios ejemplos de sus implementaciones particulares. Los resultados de las evaluaciones de las implementaciones particulares con usuarios finales y expertos, una vez discutidos y contrastados con las hipótesis, sirven para probar la validez del Marco Abierto Accesible para la integración nativa de productos de apoyo en Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación. Finalmente, se presentan las líneas de investigación y trabajo futuro en el área de la accesibilidad en las TIC. ABSTRACT People with disabilities often encounter problems of access to Information and Communications Technology (ICT), due to design and developments that do not take into account their functional differences and therefore put them at risk of social exclusion. It is increasingly common to find assistive products that allow to use different technologies (computers, Internet, mobile devices), but many of them are not well integrated because they work essentially modifying the platform where they are installed, beeing the second-generation access solutions. Beyond the assistive product development, which has certainly evolved positively in recent years, it is notable that there is a lack of tools and holistic approach to help developers and designers make accessible ICT. This doctoral thesis aims to validate the hypothesis that a holistic approach to application development and assistive ICT products, called Open Accessibility Framework, facilitates the development and integration of native accessible applications and assistive products, regardless of the technology used, resulting in third-generation access solutions that improve the use of such applications by people with disabilities. This work was developed under the AEGIS project (open Accessibility Everywhere: Groundwork, Infrastructure, Standards), which was partially funded by the European Commission (EC) under the Seventh Framework Programme and lasted four years. The methodology for the design, development and validation followed in this thesis is an adaptation of two existing design methodologies (User Centered Design and Goal Oriented Design), the implementation of the Open Accessibility Framework and the usage of different validation techniques. A training methodological framework ha also been developed to minimize the effect of the learning curve when users first try the solutions developed. This thesis presents the Open Accessibility Framework applied to ICT in three areas in which this work is developed: computers, Internet and mobile devices, based on the needs and problems of the disabled users in the use of ICT. Different instantiations of the Open Accessibility Framework are defined in the three aforementioned ICT areas and various examples of its particular implementations are described. The results of the evaluations of the particular implementations which have been carried with end users and experts, once discussed and contrasted with the hypotheses, have been used to test the validity of the Open Accessibility Framework for the native integration of assistive products in Information and Communications Technology. Finally, the future research lines and future work in the area of ICT accessibility are presented.

Inter-organizational information systems adoption for service innovation in building sector

The building sector has experienced a significant decline in recent years in Spain and Europe as a result of the financial crisis that began in 2007. This drop accompanies a low penetration of information and communication technologies in inter-organizational oriented business processes. The market decrease is causing a slowdown in the building sector, where only flexible small and medium enterprises (SMEs) survive thanks to specialization and innovation in services, which allow them to face new market demands. Inter-organizational information systems (IOISs) support innovation in services, and are thus a strategic tool for SMEs to obtain competitive advantage. Because of the inherent complexity of IOIS adoption, this research extends Kurnia and Johnston's (2000) theoretical model of IOIS adoption with an empirical model of IOIS characterization. The resultant model identifies the factors influencing IOIS adoption in SMEs in the building sector, to promote further service innovation for competitive and collaborative advantages. An empirical longitudinal study over six consecutive years using data from Spanish SMEs in the building sector validates the model, using the partial least squares technique and analyzing temporal stability. The main findings of this research are the four ways an IOIS might contribute to service innovation in the building sector. Namely: a) improving client interfaces and the link between service providers and end users; b) defining a specific market where SMEs can develop new service concepts; c) enhancing the service delivery system in traditional customer?supplier relationships; and d) introducing information and communication technologies and tools to improve information management.

Multiple Robots, Single Operator: Considerations About Information And Commanding

Multiple robot, single operator scenarios suppose a challenge in terms of human factors. Two relevant issues are keeping the situational awareness and managing the workload of operators. In order to address these problems, this work analyses the management of information and commands in multi-robot missions. About the information, this paper proposes a selection based on mission and operator states. Regarding the commands, this work reflects about the levels of automation and the methods of commanding.

Evaluation of hybrid and distance education learning environments in Spain

This article describes the adaptation and validation of the Distance Education Learning Environments Survey (DELES) for use in investigating the qualities found in distance and hybrid education psycho-social learning environments in Spain. As Europe moves toward post-secondary student mobility, equanimity in access to higher education, and more standardised degree programs across the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) the need for a high quality method for continually assessing the excellence of distance and hybrid learning environments has arisen. This study outlines how the English language DELES was adapted into the new Spanish-Distance Education Learning Environments Survey (S-DELES) for use with a Bachelor of Psychology and Criminology degree program offering both distance and hybrid education classes. We present the relationships between psycho-social learning environment perceptions and those of student affect. We also present the asynchronous aspects of the environment, scale means, and a comparison between the perceptions of distance education students and their hybrid education counterparts that inform the university about the baseline health of the information and communication technologies (ICT) environment within which the study was conducted.

Connecting Clinical Practices with Microbiological and Biochemical Technologies

The word technology refers to the knowledge of techniques, skills, methods or processes used to produce goods, services or to reach specific objectives (research, business, etc.). The concept technology can also be used to make reference to devices, computers and factories.