Standards and specifications to manage accessibility issues in e-learning

Despite the acknowledged need of providing a personalized and adaptive learning process for all, current learning management systems do not properly cover personalization and accessibility issues and they are still struggling to support the reusability requirements coming from the pervasive usage of standards. There is a lack of frameworks for providing layered-based infrastructure covering the interoperability required to manage the whole range of standards, applications and services needed to meet accessibility and adaptations needs of lifelong learning services.

Matriz de Butler de Banda Ancha en Banda X para Antenas Reconfigurables

The work presented in this document shows the complete simulation of a Butler matrix. This circuit will be used in the feeding of a steerable on board antenna in X band. The antenna consists of printed elements grouped in an array. This terminal works in a frequency band from 7.25 up to 8.4 GHz (15% of bandwidth), where both bands, reception (7.25 – 7.75 GHz) and transmission (7.9–8.4 GHz), are included simultaneously. The whole antenna reaches 31 dBi, with a beam width smaller than 10º and a dual circular polarization. This antenna also includes the capability of electronic steering in elevation ±45º and mechanically motorized junction 360º in azimuth.

Guidelines for Accessibility to Microblogging: an Integral Approach

Microblogging is one of the most popular user-generated media, hence its accessibility has a large impact for users. However, the accessibility of this medium is poor in practice, due to the combination of bad practices by different agents ranging from the providers that host microblogging services to prosumers that post contents to them. Here we present an accessibility-oriented model of microblogging services, analyze the impact of its components, and propose guidelines for each of them to meet accessibility requirements. In particular, we base on an study we have performed on Twitter, one of the most-relevant microblogging platform, to identify good and bad practices in microblogging content generation regarding accessibility in microblogging content generation.

Bases para la confección del mapa metalogenético de Castilla-La Mancha

Con la presente comunicación, queremos presentar un proyecto de investigación, encaminado a la realización del Mapa Metalogénico de Castilla - La Mancha. En este proyecto van a participar profesores y personal investigador, de las Escuelas Universitarias Politécnicas de Almadén y de Manresa, pertenecientes respectivamente a la Universidad de Castilla- La Mancha, y a la Universidad Politécnica de Catalunya.

Domain-Specific Multi-Modeling of Security Concerns in Service-Oriented Architectures

As a common reference for many in-development standards and execution frameworks, special attention is being paid to Service-Oriented Architectures. SOAs modeling, however, is an area in which a consensus has not being achieved. Currently, standardization organizations are defining proposals to offer a solution to this problem. Nevertheless, until very recently, non-functional aspects of services have not been considered for standardization processes. In particular, there exists a lack of a design solution that permits an independent development of the functional and non-functional concerns of SOAs, allowing that each concern be addressed in a convenient manner in early stages of the development, in a way that could guarantee the quality of this type of systems. This paper, leveraging on previous work, presents an approach to integrate security-related non-functional aspects (such as confidentiality, integrity, and access control) in the development of services.

Multi Domain-Specific Modeling of the Security Concerns of Service-Oriented Architectures

Service-Oriented Architectures (SOA), and Web Services (WS), the technology generally used to implement them, achieve the integration of heterogeneous technologies, providing interoperability, and yielding the reutilization of pre-existent systems. Model-driven development methodologies provide inherent benefits such as increased productivity, greater reuse, and better maintainability, to name a few. Efforts on achieving model-driven development of SOAs already exist, but there is currently no standard solution that addresses non-functional aspects of these services as well. This paper presents an approach to integrate these non-functional aspects in the development of web services, with an emphasis on security.

Innovative tools to address drought risk in grazing lands

Drought spells can impose severe impacts in most vulnerable farms. It is well known that uninsured exposure exacerbates income inequality in farming systems. However, high administrative costs of traditional insurance hinder small farmers? access to risk management tools. The existence of moral hazard and systemic risk prevents the implementation of traditional insurance programs to address drought risk in rural areas. Innovative technologies like satellite images are being used to derive vegetation index which are highly correlated with drought impacts. The implementation of this technology in agricultural insurance may help to overcome some of the limitations of traditional insurance. However, basis risk has been identified as one of the main problems that hinder the acceptance of index insurance. In this paper we focus on the analyses of basis risk under different contract options in the grazing lands of the Araucanía region. A vegetation index database is used to develop an actuarial insurance model and estimate risk premiums for moderate and severe drought coverage. Risk premium sharply increases with risk coverage. In contrast with previous findings in the literature, our results are not conclusive and show that lowering the coverage level does not necessarily imply a reduction in basis risk. Further analyses of the relation between contract design and basis risk is a promising area of research that may render an important social utility for most vulnerable farming systems.

Leadership in executive women from the viewpoint of project management competences: a study in the region of Madrid / Liderazgo de la mujer directiva desde las competencias para la dirección de proyectos: estudio en la región de Madrid

Today's knowledge society is creating increasingly competitive environments in which cognitive factors, creativity, knowledge and information determine the success of organizations. In this context the exercise of management and leadership is essential to achieve objectives, goals and relationships. Both concepts have been historically associated with the male domain because of the underrepresentation of women in managerial positions. However, the increasing participation of women in the workplace has led to the development of an extensive literature on the possible existence of differences between the styles of male and female leadership, although it has not been addressed from the analysis of competences associated with each sex. Through a participatory process the abilities and skills associated with women managers are analyzed, the differences in leadership styles and the barriers that still exist for the promotion of women into management positions. The results indicate that women particularly value the skills associated with human relationships, the female leadership style tends to be transformational and that there are still barriers to their advancement to management positions.

Estudio geológico de los yacimientos de grafito de la zona de Becerril (Segovia)

En el presente trabajo se describe el depósito de grafito denominado Becerril, situado en la zona oriental de la Sierra del Guadarrama. Dicho depósito se ha formado a partir de la grafitización - de una importante formación bituminosa de las pizarras silúricas donde encaja el yacimiento.

A simplified approach to determine aerodynamic damping of railway overheads

The railway overhead (or catenary) is the system of cables responsible for providing electric current to the train. This system has been reported as wind-sensitive (Scanlon et al., 2000), and particularly to the occurrence of galloping phenomena. Galloping phenomena of the railway overhead consists of undamped cable oscillations triggered by aerodynamic forces acting on the contact wire. As is well known, aerodynamic loads on the contact wire depends on the incident flow mean velocity and the angle of attack. The presence of embankments or hills modifies both vertical velocities profiles and angles of attack of the flow (Paiva et al., 2009). The presence of these cross-wind related oscillations can interfere with the safe operation of the railway service (Johnson, 1996). Therefore a correct modelling of the phenomena is required to avoid these unwanted oscillations.

Case-Study Schorlemerallee: intervención en el patrimonio residencial moderno. La Versuchsiedlung (colonia experimental) de Wassili y Hans Luckhardt y Alfons Anker en Berlín 1924-30

La Versuchssiedlung (Colonia experimental de viviendas) de Schorlemerallee (Berlin-Dahlem) proyectada y construida entre los años 1924 y 1930 por los hermanos Wassili y Hans Luckhardt con Alfons Anker, es un proyecto personal basado en la investigación sobre distintas técnicas constructivas, sus posibilidades, condicionantes y limitaciones. La Colonia Experimental reúne en un espacio relativamente reducido todo un campo de investigación de sistemas constructivos que permitieron a sus autores (y nos permiten a nosotros) el análisis comparado. Por otra parte la evolución de las viviendas a través de los años, y los distintos acontecimientos y circunstancias históricas que han atravesado (incluyendo una guerra mundial, una dura posguerra y numerosas alteraciones y modificaciones), con resultados muy diversos hasta llegar a su estado actual, son una oportunidad única, una espléndida muestra espectográfica del estado, posibilidades y problemas a la hora de abordar la intervención en el patrimonio residencial moderno

Técnicas de investigación minera aplicadas a la Arqueología.

Hoy nos encontramos a las puertas de una nueva aplicación para una serie de técnicas mineras que hasta ahora habían tenido su máximo apogeo en una serie de actividades de carácter minero-económico principalmente. Nos estamos refiriendo al campo de la Arqueología, cuya aplicación ha hecho posible la aparición de nuevas ramas de la Ciencia Aplicada como la Arqueofísica, Teledetecci6n en arqueología, etc. A través de ellas se han logrado resultados espectaculares posibilitando una planificación mejor a la hora de la excavación. De esta manera el empleo de forma sistemática de la Prospección Arqueológica previa a todo tipo de excavación ha dado lugar a una colaboración f fructífera interdisciplinaria con un cambio de mentalidad en las relaciones de las Ciencias Humanas y de las Ciencias Aplicadas

Promoting mixed stands through conversion treatments. Effect of holm oak coppices thinning on black pine regeneration

The effects of conversion treatments, depending on ecological factors and silvicultural parameters (thinning intensity, thinning type and rotation, among others) have been studied during the last fifteen years in an experimental trial in Central Spain. The general climate is continental Mediterranean; soils are low depth and limy; vegetation is an homogeneous dense coppices of Quercus ilex with isolated Pinus nigra trees. The experimental design (three locations) includes different thinning intensities (from 0 to 100% of extracted basal area). Inventories have been carried out in 1994 and 2010; thinning treatments were done in 1995 and 2011. Analysis of the effects of the conversion treatment show the increment of diameter and height growth rates, the canopy recovery and the stand resprouting, finding differences in these effects between thinning treatments. Besides the induced changes at holm oak stand, the application of conversion treatment clearly changed the woodland dynamics. Fifteen years after the thinnings, floristic composition varied and an abundant pine regeneration was installed in the woodland. In this work we describe the changes between inventories in tree species composition and diameter distribution, specially in the case of black pine. The conversion treatment caused changes in forest dynamics in the short term, increasing biodiversity and diversifying the forest structure. The fast installation of Pinus regeneration suggests the potential of the zone for the establishment of multipurpose mixed Quercus-Pinus stands in wide areas where Quercus species were favoured by human populations for firewood production. Conversion treatment of coppices, with the creation of mixed stands, constitutes a good management alternative for extensive areas and an interesting technique to adaptation to global change.

Influence of road noise disturbances on black vulture nesting area: Case of "Cabeza de Hierro" state in Spanish Mediterranean Central Mountain

The real and potential road influence on soundscape is considered a relevant management aspect that can assess the negative effects of massive visitants on such sensitive species -that have been living for centuries in the area-. As a first approach to the study of human disturbances sound impact, acoustic engineering tools allow us to model noise pollution caused by the main road that crosses the state ?Cabeza de Hierro? (M-604). For these preliminary results we use the French method XPS 31-133, recommend at EU level. Noise emission levels in black vulture nesting area are analyzed to understand the influence of human activities on rural areas and road management on biodiversity conservation. This approach develops a useful tool to make compatible the public enjoyment of forest services such as recreation or landscape scenary, the conservation of biodiversity as well as a suitable social and economic activity level ?timber and firewood harvesting, industry?- at the region.

Influencia del clima y la humedad de suelo en la fenología del crecimiento secundario de encina (Quercus iles Lam.) en un gradiente climático peninsular

La cuantificación del crecimiento de las especies forestales es fundamental para desarrollar una selvicultura basada en criterios técnicos y científicos. El análisis de cómo influyen los factores edafoclimáticos en dicho crecimiento posibilita el paso de modelos de crecimiento estrictamente empíricos a modelos con un mayor componente ecofisiológico, permitiendo un estudio en mayor detalle de las relaciones suelo-clima-planta. Este conocimiento facilita una posterior incorporación a estos modelos de variables estacionales tomados de sensores remotos y estaciones meteorológicas. En este trabajo se analiza la influencia de variables edafoclimáticas en el crecimiento diametral de encina en 4 parcelas situadas en estaciones forestales contrastadas: Villanueva de los Castillejos (Huelva), Olivenza (Badajoz), El Dehesón (Toledo) y Aldehuela de la Bóveda (Salamanca). La toma de datos de crecimiento se ha realizado en el periodo 2006-2010 a dos niveles: (a) de forma continua (intervalo de 15 min) en 4-9 individuos de la parcela mediante dendrómetros electrónicos (DEPFOR, Universidad de Huelva) con resolución de 4 micras y (b) con periodicidad mensual, mediante dendrómetros de banda en 60-100 individuos por parcela. Las parcelas disponen de estaciones meteorológicas ?in situ?.