Expo USA

En el presente trabajo se expone una investigación llevada a cabo a una empresa específica (INDU-ROPA LTDA). El trabajo de investigación fue llevado a cabo por el grupo de investigación de la facultad de Administración, de la universidad del Rosario (CIDEM). El proyecto de investigación denominado “Expo USA” tuvo como fin realizar una consultoría en la empresa INDU-ROPA LTDA. Para de este modo, luego de haber realizado un profundo análisis de la empresa se encontraron los principales errores y los procesos a mejorar, así mismo se encontraron y reforzaron las fortalezas de la empresa, lo anterior con el fin de que esta tenga la capacidad de exportar sus productos a largo plazo, dadas las condiciones de la empresa. La investigación fue apoyada por un grupo de docentes y consultores, expertos en el tema. Las herramientas utilizadas para el desarrollo de esta investigación fueron creadas y desarrolladas en su totalidad por el CIDEM. Estas herramientas fueron las que permitieron el desarrollo satisfactorio de la investigación, aparte de la investigación que fue hecha en los mercados requeridos. Por otra parte cada etapa de la investigación fue apoyada por un consultor diferente, como ya se dijo anteriormente, experto en el tema al cual fue asignado, estos consultores tuvieron que aportar sus conocimientos para implementar y desarrollar las herramientas del CIDEM con el fin de lograr un resultado satisfactorio en cada etapa realizada. Los consultores fueron apoyados por un estudiante de la facultad de administración.

Metas de los adolescentes : elaboración y validación de un cuestionario con población navarra.

Objetivos: 1.-Elaborar un instrumento de medida sobre las metas (educativas, profesionales, interpersonales, autoimagen, reconocimiento social, emancipativas, delictivas, físicas, sociopolíticas y compromiso personal) de los adolescentes y estudiar las características técnicas del mismo: análisis de ítemes, fiabilidad, validez y tipificación. 2.- Determinar la importancia que los adolescentes navarros conceden a los diferentes tipos de metas. Dos proyectos piloto con muestras: 1.-143 sujetos de ambos sexos (78 varones y 65 mujeres, con edades comprendidas entre 14 y 18 años), de seis centros educativos concertados de Pamplona y comarca. 2.-273 adolescentes (168 varones y 105 mujeres, con edades comprendidas entre los 15 y 18 años). Estudio experimental: 17807 adolescentes de Navarra, de ESO, Bachiller y FP escolarizados en 51 centros públicos y 38 concertados, con modelo educativo en euskera y castellano. Se llevó a cabo en cuatro fases principales: 1.-Estudio del GSQ. Objetivos: traducir el GSQ, corregir la traducción y elaborar nuevos ítemes. Resultado: Versión A: CMA (9 escalas, 135 ítemes).2.-Estudio Piloto 1. Objetivos: poner a prueba la Versión A con una muestra reducida de la población objeto de estudio. Resultado: Versión B: CMA (10 escalas, 155 ítemes). 3.-Estudio Piloto 2. Objetivos: poner a prueba la Versión B con una muestra reducida de la población. Resultado: Versión C: CMA (10 escalas, 140 ítemes). 4.-Estudio experimental. Objetivos: realizar el estudio psicométrico definitivo del Cuestionario.Resultado: Versión última CMA (7 escalas, 79 ítemes). Las variables utilizadas: edad, sexo, etapa escolar, tipo de centro y modelo educativo. Los análisis psicométricos realizados revelan que el CMA tiene una fiabilidad satisfactoria y una estructura factorial bien definida en las seis escalas que configuran la última versión del cuestionario. Además, se obtienen diferencias significativas en las variables ilustrativas edad, sexo, etapa escolar, tipo de centro y modelo educativo. Estos resultados permiten afirmar que el CMA es un instrumento prometedor para la investigación, y en concreto para evaluar la importancia que los adolescentes otorgan a variedad de metas..

Estilos de pensamiento, evaluaci??n del aprendizaje y rendimiento acad??mico en la ESO

El objetivo principal es verificar emp??ricamente la teor??a tri??rquica de la inteligencia y la teor??a del autogobierno mental de Sternberg y su relaci??n con el aprendizaje y logro acad??mico en los alumnos de ESO, ofreciendo al mismo tiempo un modelo explicativo de la relaci??n entre estas variables y otras de tipo motivacional y afectivo como las metas de aprendizaje y las expectativas de logro para realizar con ??xito los aprendizajes escolares derivadas del autoconcepto acad??mico. Otros objetivos ser??an: 1. buscar evidencia emp??rica del constructo estilos de pensamiento, en alumnos y en profesores, mediante el an??lisis de las respuestas a los instrumentos Thinking Styles Questionnaire para alumnos (TSQS) y para profesores (TSQT) elaborados por Sternberg. 2. Analizar la relaci??n entre los 3 tipos de inteligencia descritos en la teor??a tri??rquica de Stenberg y las distintas clases de estilos de autogobierno mental, as?? como el grado en que habilidades y estilos determinan diferencialmente el logro acad??mico del estudiante. 3. Explorar mediante el procedimiento de An??lisis Cluster la hip??tesis de los estilos compuestos y, en caso de su existencia, indagar sobre su relevancia en la explicaci??n del rendimiento acad??mico. 4. Contrastar la hip??tesis que predice la relevancia de que los estilos de profesor y alumnos coincidan en el sentido de que ello redundar?? en beneficio para el alumno. 5. Analizar la relaci??n que existe entre estilos de pensamiento de los alumnos y tipos de evaluaci??n descritos en p??ginas precedentes. 6. Estudiar la caracter??sticas de los estilos de autogobierno de los estudiantes, teniendo en cuenta la interacci??n con otras variables. 7. Explorar qu?? caracter??sticas motivacionales son caracter??sticas de cada uno de los estilos de pensamiento del alumno. 2698 estudiantes de ESO de distintas zonas de Asturias y 135 profesores de estos estudiantes, durante el curso acad??mico 1999-2000. Entre los meses de noviembre de 1998 y febrero de 1999 se lleva a cabo un estudio piloto con el fin de recopilar informaci??n importante sobre cuestiones relativas a los instrumentos de evaluaci??n necesaria para la planificaci??n del estudio final. En ??ste, realizado a lo largo del curso acad??mico 1999-2000 se le aplican a los estudiantes cuatro pruebas: inteligencia (Stenberg Triarchic Abilities Test), estilos intelectuales (Thinking Styles Questionnaire for Students), competencia percibida para la realizaci??n de los aprendizajes escolares (Escala de Evaluaci??n del Autoconcepto en adolescentes) y metas acad??micas (Cuestionario de Metas Acad??micas en la ESO), mientras que los profesores cumplimentan un cuestionario de evaluaci??n de los estilos intelectuales para profesores. Finalizado el curso acad??mico se han realizado entrevistas con la direcci??n de los centros educativos y con los profesores implicados para obtener las notas del rendimiento de los alumnos, as?? como informaci??n sobre los procedimientos de evaluaci??n utilizados por el profesorado. Stenberg Triarchic Abilities Test (STAT), para medir las habilidades intelectuales seg??n la teor??a tri??rquica de Sternberg. Thinking Styles Questionnaire for Students (TSQS) para evaluar los estilos de autogobierno de los alumnos. Thinking Styles Questionnaire for Teachers (TSQT), eval??a los estilos de pensamiento del profesor. Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI), para la evaluaci??n de estrategias. Inventario de Procesos Metacognitivos (IPM), escala de evaluaci??n de los procesos metacognitivos. Cuestionario de Metas Acad??micas (CMA), eval??a las diferencias individuales en cuanto a los motivos por los cuales los alumnos se esfuerzan en sus estudios. Self Description Questionnaire (SDQ-II), permite la evaluaci??n de las diversas dimensiones del autoconcepto de los alumnos en la etapa de la adolescencia. Pruebas de rendimiento, muestra c??mo los profesores eval??an los conocimientos de sus alumnos. Se realizan los siguientes an??lisis estad??sticos: An??lisis de fiabilidad de todos los instrumentos de evaluaci??n. An??lisis factoriales de tipo exploratorio y confirmatorio con el fin de estudiar la validez del constructo. An??lisis de las correlaciones entre las distintas variables para investigar sobre la relaci??n entre ??mbitos de las habilidades. An??lisis de Cluster de tipo jer??rquico para obtener informaci??n sobre posibles estilos intelectuales compuestos. An??lisis de covarianza (ANCOVA) para obtener informaci??n sobre el efecto de ciertas variables independientes (estilos de pensamiento y capacidades cognitivas) sobre una variable dependiente (el rendimiento en un tipo de prueba de evaluaci??n). An??lisis de regresi??n m??ltiple para complementar la informaci??n obtenida de los an??lisis de las correlaciones. An??lisis de modelos de ecuaciones estructurales, para el estudio de la causalidad. Se apoyan los supuestos b??sicos del modelo de Robert Sternberg tanto respecto a la teor??a tri??rquica de la inteligencia como a la teor??a del autogobierno del pensamiento, tanto en alumnos como en profesores. Tambi??n aporta informaci??n relevante para la formulaci??n de hip??tesis que implican nuevas dimensiones de este modelo. Se demuestra la vinculaci??n significativa del constructo 'estilos intelectuales' con la 'determinaci??n de una meta personal' en el estudio y con la 'capacidad percibida' para este tipo de trabajo en la explicaci??n del rendimiento acad??mico de los alumnos.

Uso del Software libre aplicado a los SIG: un caso práctico en la Consejería de Medio Ambiente

En estos momentos se está produciendo una evolución hacia el uso de plataformas basadas en software libre orientadas por la política de la Junta de Andalucía (JA), en general y por el proyecto del SIG Corporativo en particular. La Consejería de Medio Ambiente (CMA) ha sido siempre dentro de la JA un gran baluarte en todo lo referido al tratamiento de información ambiental, por ello su gran preocupación por innovar y ser pionera. En esta línea se plantea esta comunicación donde se describirá el proceso completo que hemos conseguido desarrollar sobre un proyecto complejo tanto tecnológicamente como metodológicamente. En dicho proyecto se utiliza una arquitectura basada en tecnología de software libre en el que podemos destacar un visor geográfico desarrollado sobre OpenLayers, una aplicación para PDA desarrollado sobre el núcleo de Enebro y el uso de estándares OGC, tanto para la utilización de cartografía base mediante WMS, como el acceso y la edición vía web a través de WFS-T. Para la CMA, este proyecto es un claro exponente de las nuevas líneas seguidas por la organización en una clara apuesta por el uso del software libre como elemento principal para desarrollos complejos

A new strategy for the blind MMSE equalization

This paper describes a new strategy for the blind equalization so that the blind Constant Module Algorithm (CMA) can be smoothly switched to the decision- directed (DD) equalization. First, we propose a combination approach by running the CMA and DD equalization simultaneously to obtain a smooth switch between them. We then describe an "anchoring process" to eliminate the effect from the CMA at the steady state to achieve low residual noise. The overall equalization can be regarded as the DD equalization being anchored by the combination approach. Numerical simulations are given to verify the proposed strategy.

A new blind equalization algorithm based on convex combination

The convex combination is a mathematic approach to keep the advantages of its component algorithms for better performance. In this paper, we employ convex combination in the blind equalization to achieve better blind equalization. By combining the blind constant modulus algorithm (CMA) and decision directed algorithm, the combinative blind equalization (CBE) algorithm can retain the advantages from both. Furthermore, the convergence speed of the CBE algorithm is faster than both of its component equalizers. Simulation results are also given to verify the proposed algorithm.

TIGGE: comparison of the prediction of Southern Hemisphere extratropical cyclones by different ensemble prediction systems.

The prediction of Northern Hemisphere (NH) extratropical cyclones by nine different ensemble prediction systems(EPSs), archived as part of The Observing System Research and Predictability Experiment (THORPEX) Interactive Grand Global Ensemble (TIGGE), has recently been explored using a cyclone tracking approach. This paper provides a continuation of this work, extending the analysis to the Southern Hemisphere (SH). While the EPSs have larger error in all cyclone properties in the SH, the relative performance of the different EPSs remains broadly consistent between the two hemispheres. Some interesting differences are also shown. The Chinese Meteorological Administration (CMA) EPS has a significantly lower level of performance in the SH compared to the NH. Previous NH results showed that the Centro de Previsao de Tempo e Estudos Climaticos (CPTEC) EPS underpredicts cyclone intensity. The results of this current study show that this bias is significantly larger in the SH. The CPTEC EPS also has very little spread in both hemispheres. As with the NH results, cyclone propagation speed is underpredicted by all the EPSs in the SH. To investigate this further, the bias was also computed for theECMWFhigh-resolution deterministic forecast. The bias was significantly smaller than the lower resolution ECMWF EPS.

Coupling ensemble weather predictions based on TIGGE database with Grid-Xinanjiang model for flood forecast

The incorporation of numerical weather predictions (NWP) into a flood forecasting system can increase forecast lead times from a few hours to a few days. A single NWP forecast from a single forecast centre, however, is insufficient as it involves considerable non-predictable uncertainties and lead to a high number of false alarms. The availability of global ensemble numerical weather prediction systems through the THORPEX Interactive Grand Global Ensemble' (TIGGE) offers a new opportunity for flood forecast. The Grid-Xinanjiang distributed hydrological model, which is based on the Xinanjiang model theory and the topographical information of each grid cell extracted from the Digital Elevation Model (DEM), is coupled with ensemble weather predictions based on the TIGGE database (CMC, CMA, ECWMF, UKMO, NCEP) for flood forecast. This paper presents a case study using the coupled flood forecasting model on the Xixian catchment (a drainage area of 8826 km2) located in Henan province, China. A probabilistic discharge is provided as the end product of flood forecast. Results show that the association of the Grid-Xinanjiang model and the TIGGE database gives a promising tool for an early warning of flood events several days ahead.

Rainfall estimation by rain gauge-radar combination: a concurrent multiplicative-additive approach

A procedure (concurrent multiplicative-additive objective analysis scheme [CMA-OAS]) is proposed for operational rainfall estimation using rain gauges and radar data. On the basis of a concurrent multiplicative-additive (CMA) decomposition of the spatially nonuniform radar bias, within-storm variability of rainfall and fractional coverage of rainfall are taken into account. Thus both spatially nonuniform radar bias, given that rainfall is detected, and bias in radar detection of rainfall are handled. The interpolation procedure of CMA-OAS is built on Barnes' objective analysis scheme (OAS), whose purpose is to estimate a filtered spatial field of the variable of interest through a successive correction of residuals resulting from a Gaussian kernel smoother applied on spatial samples. The CMA-OAS, first, poses an optimization problem at each gauge-radar support point to obtain both a local multiplicative-additive radar bias decomposition and a regionalization parameter. Second, local biases and regionalization parameters are integrated into an OAS to estimate the multisensor rainfall at the ground level. The procedure is suited to relatively sparse rain gauge networks. To show the procedure, six storms are analyzed at hourly steps over 10,663 km2. Results generally indicated an improved quality with respect to other methods evaluated: a standard mean-field bias adjustment, a spatially variable adjustment with multiplicative factors, and ordinary cokriging.

Visual processing of optic flow and motor control in the human posterior cingulate sulcus

Previous studies have shown that the human posterior cingulate contains a visual processing area selective for optic flow (CSv). However, other studies performed in both humans and monkeys have identified a somatotopic motor region at the same location (CMA). Taken together, these findings suggested the possibility that the posterior cingulate contains a single visuomotor integration region. To test this idea we used fMRI to identify both visual and motor areas of the posterior cingulate in the same brains and to test the activity of those regions during a visuomotor task. Results indicated that rather than a single visuomotor region the posterior cingulate contains adjacent but separate motor and visual regions. CSv lies in the fundus of the cingulate sulcus, while CMA lies in the dorsal bank of the sulcus, slightly superior in terms of stereotaxic coordinates. A surprising and novel finding was that activity in CSv was suppressed during the visuomotor task, despite the visual stimulus being identical to that used to localize the region. This may provide an important clue to the specific role played by this region in the utilization of optic flow to control self-motion.

TOWARD UNDERSTANDING THE B[e] PHENOMENON. IV. MODELING OF IRAS 00470+6429

FS CMa type stars are a recently described group of objects with the B[e] phenomenon which exhibits strong emission-line spectra and strong IR excesses. In this paper, we report the first attempt for a detailed modeling of IRAS 00470+6429, for which we have the best set of observations. Our modeling is based on two key assumptions: the star has a main-sequence luminosity for its spectral type (B2) and the circumstellar (CS) envelope is bimodal, composed of a slowly outflowing disklike wind and a fast polar wind. Both outflows are assumed to be purely radial. We adopt a novel approach to describe the dust formation site in the wind that employs timescale arguments for grain condensation and a self-consistent solution for the dust destruction surface. With the above assumptions we were able to satisfactorily reproduce many observational properties of IRAS 00470+6429, including the Hi line profiles and the overall shape of the spectral energy distribution. Our adopted recipe for dust formation proved successful in reproducing the correct amount of dust formed in the CS envelope. Possible shortcomings of our model, as well as suggestions for future improvements, are discussed.

TOWARD UNDERSTANDING THE B[e] PHENOMENON. III. PROPERTIES OF THE OPTICAL COUNTERPART OF IRAS 00470+6429

FS CMa type stars are a group of Galactic objects with the B[e] phenomenon. They exhibit strong emission-line spectra and infrared excesses, which are most likely due to recently formed circumstellar dust. The group content and identification criteria were described in the first two papers of the series. In this paper we report our spectroscopic and photometric observations of the optical counterpart of IRAS 00470+6429 obtained in 2003-2008. The optical spectrum is dominated by emission lines, most of which have P Cyg type profiles. We detected significant brightness variations, which may include a regular component, and variable spectral line profiles in both shape and position. The presence of a weak Li I 6708 angstrom line in the spectrum suggests that the object is most likely a binary system with a B2-B3 spectral-type primary companion of a luminosity log L/L(circle dot) = 3.9 +/- 0.3 and a late-type secondary companion. We estimate a distance toward the object to be 2.0 +/- 0.3 kpc from the Sun.

Consensus Statement: Chromosomal Microarray Is a First-Tier Clinical Diagnostic Test for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities or Congenital Anomalies

Chromosomal microarray (CMA) is increasingly utilized for genetic testing of individuals with unexplained developmental delay/intellectual disability (DD/ID), autism spectrum disorders (ASD), or multiple congenital anomalies (MCA). Performing CMA and G-banded karyotyping on every patient substantially increases the total cost of genetic testing. The International Standard Cytogenomic Array (ISCA) Consortium held two international workshops and conducted a literature review of 33 studies, including 21,698 patients tested by CMA. We provide an evidence-based summary of clinical cytogenetic testing comparing CMA to G-banded karyotyping with respect to technical advantages and limitations, diagnostic yield for various types of chromosomal aberrations, and issues that affect test interpretation. CMA offers a much higher diagnostic yield (15%-20%) for genetic testing of individuals with unexplained DD/ID, ASD, or MCA than a G-banded karyotype (similar to 3%, excluding Down syndrome and other recognizable chromosomal syndromes), primarily because of its higher sensitivity for submicroscopic deletions and duplications. Truly balanced rearrangements and low-level mosaicism are generally not detectable by arrays, but these are relatively infrequent causes of abnormal phenotypes in this population (<1%). Available evidence strongly supports the use of CMA in place of G-banded karyotyping as the first-tier cytogenetic diagnostic test for patients with DD/ID, ASD, or MCA. G-banded karyotype analysis should be reserved for patients with obvious chromosomal syndromes (e.g., Down syndrome), a family history of chromosomal rearrangement, or a history of multiple miscarriages.

Black-box decomposition approach for computational hemodynamics: One-dimensional models

Increasing efforts exist in integrating different levels of detail in models of the cardiovascular system. For instance, one-dimensional representations are employed to model the systemic circulation. In this context, effective and black-box-type decomposition strategies for one-dimensional networks are needed, so as to: (i) employ domain decomposition strategies for large systemic models (1D-1D coupling) and (ii) provide the conceptual basis for dimensionally-heterogeneous representations (1D-3D coupling, among various possibilities). The strategy proposed in this article works for both of these two scenarios, though the several applications shown to illustrate its performance focus on the 1D-1D coupling case. A one-dimensional network is decomposed in such a way that each coupling point connects two (and not more) of the sub-networks. At each of the M connection points two unknowns are defined: the flow rate and pressure. These 2M unknowns are determined by 2M equations, since each sub-network provides one (non-linear) equation per coupling point. It is shown how to build the 2M x 2M non-linear system with arbitrary and independent choice of boundary conditions for each of the sub-networks. The idea is then to solve this non-linear system until convergence, which guarantees strong coupling of the complete network. In other words, if the non-linear solver converges at each time step, the solution coincides with what would be obtained by monolithically modeling the whole network. The decomposition thus imposes no stability restriction on the choice of the time step size. Effective iterative strategies for the non-linear system that preserve the black-box character of the decomposition are then explored. Several variants of matrix-free Broyden`s and Newton-GMRES algorithms are assessed as numerical solvers by comparing their performance on sub-critical wave propagation problems which range from academic test cases to realistic cardiovascular applications. A specific variant of Broyden`s algorithm is identified and recommended on the basis of its computer cost and reliability. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An improved finite element space for discontinuous pressures

We consider incompressible Stokes flow with an internal interface at which the pressure is discontinuous, as happens for example in problems involving surface tension. We assume that the mesh does not follow the interface, which makes classical interpolation spaces to yield suboptimal convergence rates (typically, the interpolation error in the L(2)(Omega)-norm is of order h(1/2)). We propose a modification of the P(1)-conforming space that accommodates discontinuities at the interface without introducing additional degrees of freedom or modifying the sparsity pattern of the linear system. The unknowns are the pressure values at the vertices of the mesh and the basis functions are computed locally at each element, so that the implementation of the proposed space into existing codes is straightforward. With this modification, numerical tests show that the interpolation order improves to O(h(3/2)). The new pressure space is implemented for the stable P(1)(+)/P(1) mini-element discretization, and for the stabilized equal-order P(1)/P(1) discretization. Assessment is carried out for Poiseuille flow with a forcing surface and for a static bubble. In all cases the proposed pressure space leads to improved convergence orders and to more accurate results than the standard P(1) space. In addition, two Navier-Stokes simulations with moving interfaces (Rayleigh-Taylor instability and merging bubbles) are reported to show that the proposed space is robust enough to carry out realistic simulations. (c) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.