VoWiFi & IM : Comunicaciones móviles en la red global

El principal objectiu d'aquest projecte és l'estudi de la tecnologia ViWiFi tant des del punt de vista de la seva base tècnica com de les seves possibles aplicacions actuals i futures, especialment referent a la integració de serveis addicionals com la missatgeria instantània. Una vegada analitzats els conceptes teòrics es realitza un estudi de les principals eines de codi obert que permeten implementar aquest tipus de plataformes, per a finalment concloure amb la instal·lació pràctica d'una plataforma de laboratori.

Informatitzar l'escola : projecte global d'informatització d'un centre escolar

En el moment actual la presència de la tecnologia de la informació i la comunicació (TIC) es fa imprescindible en les activitats de la vida quotidiana. En l'escola d'una societat moderna està adquirint una presència transcendental i inqüestionable que està canviant les formes d'aprendre i transmetre els coneixements. L'escola millor preparada serà aquella que dispose d'aules autosuficients, és a dir aules en què es troben els recursos tecnològics necessaris per a possibilitar a l'alumnat l'accés a la informació i a la comunicació que ens proporciona la xarxa i els sistemes de presentació multimèdia disponibles en estos temps. La informàtica, Internet, el vídeo, la televisió, i els mitjans per a audicions i projeccions són necessitats que tant l'alumnat com el professorat han de tindre al seu abast en tot moment. Cada vegada més la majoria de les activitats que es realitzen en l'escola necessiten utilitzar estes tecnologies.

Une posture inversée: le yoga global

L'article expose un comparatisme reposant sur la pratique des regards croisés dont nous postulons la pertinence pour comprendre l'échange d'idées et de pratiques entre l'Inde et l'«Occident». Durant les XIXe et XXe siècles naît l'un des phénomènes de mondialisation les plus intéressants, à savoir l'exportation et la globalisation du yoga indien. Pendant que l'«Occident» s'éveille au yoga spirituel inauguré par Vivekananda (dès 1893), des yogis indiens soumettent leur tradition à l'expérimentation scientifique moderne (années 20). Dans leur ouvrage commun Sport et Yoga (1941/48), Selvarajan Yesudian (le yogi chrétien indien) et Elisabeth Haich (l'ésotériste hongroise) illustrent d'une manière paradigmatique les synthèses créatives qui peuvent s'opérer dans les processus d'échanges pluri-dimensionels et pluri-directionnels entre les traditions indiennes et européennes que seule une posture comparative, capable de faire le va-et-vient entre les deux traditions, est à même de saisir.

An iterative Multiscale Finite-Volume algorithm converging to the exact solution

The multiscale finite volume (MsFV) method has been developed to efficiently solve large heterogeneous problems (elliptic or parabolic); it is usually employed for pressure equations and delivers conservative flux fields to be used in transport problems. The method essentially relies on the hypothesis that the (fine-scale) problem can be reasonably described by a set of local solutions coupled by a conservative global (coarse-scale) problem. In most cases, the boundary conditions assigned for the local problems are satisfactory and the approximate conservative fluxes provided by the method are accurate. In numerically challenging cases, however, a more accurate localization is required to obtain a good approximation of the fine-scale solution. In this paper we develop a procedure to iteratively improve the boundary conditions of the local problems. The algorithm relies on the data structure of the MsFV method and employs a Krylov-subspace projection method to obtain an unconditionally stable scheme and accelerate convergence. Two variants are considered: in the first, only the MsFV operator is used; in the second, the MsFV operator is combined in a two-step method with an operator derived from the problem solved to construct the conservative flux field. The resulting iterative MsFV algorithms allow arbitrary reduction of the solution error without compromising the construction of a conservative flux field, which is guaranteed at any iteration. Since it converges to the exact solution, the method can be regarded as a linear solver. In this context, the schemes proposed here can be viewed as preconditioned versions of the Generalized Minimal Residual method (GMRES), with a very peculiar characteristic that the residual on the coarse grid is zero at any iteration (thus conservative fluxes can be obtained).

Beyond the Transatlantic Divide: The Multiple Authorities of Standards in the Global Political Economy of Services

This paper explores the plurality of institutional environments in which standards for the service sector are expected to support the rise of a global knowledge-based economy. Despite the careful wording of the World Trade Organization (WTO), a whole range of international bodies still have the capacity to define technical specifications affecting how services are expected to be traded on worldwide basis. The analysis relies on global political economy approaches to extend to the area of service standards the assumption that the process of globalization is not opposing states and markets, but a joint expression of both of them including new patterns and agents of structural change through formal and informal power and regulatory practices. It analyses on a cross-institutional basis patterns of authority in the institutional setting of service standards in the context of the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), the European Union, and the United States. In contrast to conventional views opposing the American system to the ISO/European framework, the paper questions the robustness of this opposition by showing that institutional developments of service standards are likely to face trade-offs and compromises across those systems and between two opposing models of standardisation.

Compositional data analysis of archaeological glass: problems and possible solutions

Presentation in CODAWORK'03, session 4: Applications to archeometry

Intracoronary injection of bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells early or late after acute myocardial infarction: effects on global left ventricular function.

BACKGROUND: Intracoronary administration of autologous bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells (BM-MNC) may improve remodeling of the left ventricle (LV) after acute myocardial infarction. The optimal time point of administration of BM-MNC is still uncertain and has rarely been addressed prospectively in randomized clinical trials. METHODS AND RESULTS: In a multicenter study, we randomized 200 patients with large, successfully reperfused ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction in a 1:1:1 pattern into an open-labeled control and 2 BM-MNC treatment groups. In the BM-MNC groups, cells were administered either early (ie, 5 to 7 days) or late (ie, 3 to 4 weeks) after acute myocardial infarction. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging was performed at baseline and after 4 months. The primary end point was the change from baseline to 4 months in global LV ejection fraction between the 2 treatment groups and the control group. The absolute change in LV ejection fraction from baseline to 4 months was -0.4±8.8% (mean±SD; P=0.74 versus baseline) in the control group, 1.8±8.4% (P=0.12 versus baseline) in the early group, and 0.8±7.6% (P=0.45 versus baseline) in the late group. The treatment effect of BM-MNC as estimated by ANCOVA was 1.25 (95% confidence interval, -1.83 to 4.32; P=0.42) for the early therapy group and 0.55 (95% confidence interval, -2.61 to 3.71; P=0.73) for the late therapy group. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and LV dysfunction after successful reperfusion, intracoronary infusion of BM-MNC at either 5 to 7 days or 3 to 4 weeks after acute myocardial infarction did not improve LV function at 4-month follow-up. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00355186.

Large-Area Photo-Mosaics Using Global Alignment and Navigation Data

Seafloor imagery is a rich source of data for the study of biological and geological processes. Among several applications, still images of the ocean floor can be used to build image composites referred to as photo-mosaics. Photo-mosaics provide a wide-area visual representation of the benthos, and enable applications as diverse as geological surveys, mapping and detection of temporal changes in the morphology of biodiversity. We present an approach for creating globally aligned photo-mosaics using 3D position estimates provided by navigation sensors available in deep water surveys. Without image registration, such navigation data does not provide enough accuracy to produce useful composite images. Results from a challenging data set of the Lucky Strike vent field at the Mid Atlantic Ridge are reported

Refinement criteria for global illumination using convex funcions

In several computer graphics areas, a refinement criterion is often needed to decide whether to goon or to stop sampling a signal. When the sampled values are homogeneous enough, we assume thatthey represent the signal fairly well and we do not need further refinement, otherwise more samples arerequired, possibly with adaptive subdivision of the domain. For this purpose, a criterion which is verysensitive to variability is necessary. In this paper, we present a family of discrimination measures, thef-divergences, meeting this requirement. These convex functions have been well studied and successfullyapplied to image processing and several areas of engineering. Two applications to global illuminationare shown: oracles for hierarchical radiosity and criteria for adaptive refinement in ray-tracing. Weobtain significantly better results than with classic criteria, showing that f-divergences are worth furtherinvestigation in computer graphics. Also a discrimination measure based on entropy of the samples forrefinement in ray-tracing is introduced. The recursive decomposition of entropy provides us with a naturalmethod to deal with the adaptive subdivision of the sampling region