Internet of Things and Their Coming Perspectives: A Real Options Approach

Internet of things is developing at a dizzying rate, and companies are forced to implement it in order to maintain their operational efficiency. The high flexibility inherent to these technologies makes it necessary to apply an appropriate measure, which properly assesses risks and rewards. Real options methodology is available as a tool which fits the conditions, both economic and strategic, under which investment in internet of things technologies is developed. The contribution of this paper is twofold. On the one hand, it offers an adequate tool to assess the strategic value of investment in internet of things technologies. On the other hand, it tries to raise awareness among managers of internet of things technologies because of their potential to contribute to economic and social progress. The results of the research described in this paper highlight the importance of taking action as quickly as possible if companies want to obtain the best possible performance. In order to enhance the understanding of internet of things technologies investment, this paper provides a methodology to assess the implementation of internet of things technologies by using the real options approach; in particular, the option to expand has been proposed for use in the decision-making process

Análisis Urbano y Comunidades Inteligentes: Una Aproximación al Empleo de la Tecnología en la Movilidad Cotidiana

Concentration of population in urban centers is a global problem for which different strategies in order to organize different processes in cities and improve the quality of life are required. The creation of smart communities is shown as a sustainable solution since they deal with various key aspects, such as traffic management and mobility, through the use of information technologies (ITs). This work presents a review of recent studies using information technologies for urban analysis and mobility in cities. A descriptive analysis of automated methods for collecting and analyzing citizens’ mobility patterns is performed; it is centered in smart card use, geolocation and geotagging. It is concluded that a robust communication infrastructure, supported by an efficient computational platform allowing big data management and ubiquitous computing, is a crucial aspect for urban management in a smart communityLa concentración de la población en los centros urbanos es una problemática mundial que requiere de estrategias que permitan organizar sus procesos y mejorar la calidad de vida. La creación de comunidades inteligentes se muestra como una solución sostenible, debido a que éstas trabajan aspectos claves para el desarrollo urbano, como la gestión de tráfico y la movilidad, apoyada en las tecnologías de la información (TICs). Este trabajo presenta una revisión del estado del arte en cuanto a la aplicación de las TICs al análisis urbano y movilidad ciudadana. Se analizan descriptivamente diversos métodos automáticos para la recolección y el análisis del patrón de movilidad de los ciudadanos, enfocándose en el uso de tarjetas inteligentes, geolocalización y geoetiquetado. Se encuentra que una infraestructura de comunicaciones robusta, apoyada en una plataforma computacional ágil con manejo de grandes datos y computación ubicua, es primordial para la gestión urbana en una comunidad inteligente

Análisis urbano y comunidades inteligentes: “una aproximación al empleo de la tecnología en la movilidad cotidiana”

Concentration of population in urban centers is a global problem for which different strategies in order to organize different processes in cities and improve the quality of life are required. The creation of smart communities is shown as a sustainable solution since they deal with various key aspects, such as traffc management and mobility, through the use of information technologies (ITs). This work presents a review of recent studies using information technologies for urban analysis and mobility in cities. A descriptive analysis of automated methods for collecting and analyzing citizens’ mobility patterns is performed; it is centered in smart card use, geolocation and geotagging. It is concluded that a robust communication infrastructure, supported by an effcient computational platform allowing big data management and ubiquitous computing, is a crucial aspect for urban management in a smart community.La concentración de la población en los centros urbanos es una problemática mundial que requiere de estrategias que permitan organizar sus procesos y mejorar la calidad de vida. La creación de comunidades inteligentes se muestra como una solución sostenible, debido a que éstas trabajan aspectos claves para el desarrollo urbano, como la gestión de tráfco y la movilidad, apoyada en las tecnologías de la información (TICs). Este trabajo presenta una revisión del estado del arte en cuanto a la aplicación de las TICs al análisis urbano y movilidad ciudadana. Se analizan descriptivamente diversos métodos automáticos para la recolección y el análisis del patrón de movilidad de los ciudadanos, enfocándose en el uso de tarjetas inteligentes, geolocalización y geoetiquetado. Se encuentra que una infraestructura de comunicaciones robusta, apoyada en una plataforma computacional ágil con manejo de grandes datos y computación ubicua, es primordial para la gestión urbana en una comunidad inteligente

Genetic Variability in Ruditapes Decussatus Clam Combined With Perkinsus Infection Level to Support Founder Population Selection for a Breeding Program

[Abstract] Clam farmers worldwide face several challenges, including irregular seed supply and high mortalities due to pathogenic organisms such as "Perkinsus olseni". In Europe, there is a high unmet consumer demand for native clam species such as "Ruditapes decussatus". The high market value of "R. decussatus" makes the culture of this species potentially more attractive than that culture of the alien species "Ruditapes philippinarum". Thus, there is a market opportunity in breeding and producing "R. decussatus" at an industrial scale. A selective breeding program to improve "R. decussatus" performance will be carried out in Portugal; and the first critical step to develop such a breeding program is the establishment of a founder population. In this study, intra- and interpopulation genetic diversity was assessed using 13 microsatellite markers in eight natural beds located in Portugal, Spain and Italy. Also, allele and genotypic frequencies of each microsatellite locus were assessed discriminating between clams infected and non-infected by "P. olseni". All locations showed similar values for several genetic diversity parameters. Analyses of population differentiation (FST, Bayesian clustering and AMOVAs) revealed five genetically differentiated regions: Rías Altas and Rías Baixas (NW Spain), North/Central Coast of Portugal, Gulf of Cadiz and Adriatic Sea. Significant differences in the allelic and genotypic frequency distribution between infected clams and non-infected ones at four microsatellite loci are reported suggesting that resistance to the disease could have a genetic basis. Moreover, a positive or negative relationship between the frequency of certain alleles and the parasite infection was inferred. Further studies should confirm the potential use of those alleles as genetic markers for "P. olseni" infection. Integrating results of genetic diversity within and between populations and Perkinsus infection levels, a founder population for a "R. decussatu" breeding program is proposed, composed by individuals from Barallobre (Rías Altas), Pontevedra or Cangas (Rías Baixas), Óbidos (North/Central Coast of Portugal), Algarve (Gulf of Cadiz) and Venice (Adriatic Sea).Governo da República Portuguesa; 22390 (16/SI/2016) (CENTRO-01-0247-FEDER-022390)Ministério do Mar (Portugal); FA_01_2017_00

LEGO© Mindstorms NXT and Q-Learning: a teaching approach for robotics in engineering

Robotics has become a common subject in many engineering degrees and postgraduate programs. Although at undergraduate levels the students are introduced to basic theoretical concepts and tools, at postgraduate courses more complex topics have to be covered. One of those advanced subjects is Cognitive Robotics, which covers aspects like automatic symbolic reasoning, decision-making, task planning or machine learning. In particular, Reinforcement Learning (RL) is a machine learning and decision-making methodology that does not require a model of the environment where the robot operates, overcoming this limitation by making observations. In order to get the greatest educational benefit, RL theory should be complemented with some hands-on RL task that uses a real robot, so students get a complete vision of the learning problem, as well as of the issues that arise when dealing with a physical robotic platform. There are several RL techniques that can be studied in such a subject; we have chosen Q-learning, since is a simple, effective and well-known RL algorithm. In this paper we present a minimalist implementation of the Q-learning method for a Lego Mindstorms NXT mobile robot, focused on simplicity and applicability, and flexible enough to be adapted to several tasks. Starting from a simple wandering problem, we first design an off-line model of the learning process in which the Q-learning parameters are studied. After that, we implement the algorithm on the robot, gradually enlarging the number of states-actions of the problem. The final result of this work is a teaching framework for developing practical activities regarding Q-learning in our Robotics subjects, which will improve our teaching.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Evaluacion del comportamiento a largo plazo de hormigones en almacenamientos de residuos radiactivos de alta actividad

The present work describes an accelerated leaching method that with a rapid process allows to develop and evaluate cements for use in a nuclear disposal, and the understanding of the long term effects. The method has been developed to study the stability of cementitious materials in contact with bentonite, to be used in high level radioactivity waste repositories. Nitric acid has been selected to simulate in an accelerated way the pH decreasing produced when concrete is in contact with groundwaters. Evaluacion del comportamiento a largo plazo de hormigones en almacenamientos de residuos radiactivos de alta actividad El presente trabajo describe un ensayo acelerado de lixiviación, que mediante un proceso rápido, permite desarrollar y evaluar cementos para su uso en instalaciones nucleares, y la comprensión de su comportamiento a largo plazo. El método se ha desarrollado para estudiar la estabilidad de materiales de base cemento, en contacto con bentonita, que serán utilizados en almacenamientos de resíduos radiactivos de alta actividad. Como agente lixiviante se seleccionó el ácido nítrico, con objeto de simular de forma acelerada, la disminución del pH que se produce cuando el hormigón entra en contacto con aguas subterráneas