Assessing English competences in the language program at Universidad de Cartagena

The assessment process in language teaching is an essential aspect to guarantee success in the teaching and learning process. When the process is continuously assessed it helps not only the students but also the teacher because it shows valuable information that needs to be analyzed in order to improve the teaching practice and make the students be aware of their progress. When it comes to assessing competences a set of principles need to be taken into account in order to establish an appropriate evaluative instrument and be able to measure the capacity a student could have to communicate. The objective of this study is to analyze the way the assessment process is carried out at Universidad de Cartagena, as the students from the languages program are showing problems with their English levels and the reasons why the students are unable to communicate in English. The sources to obtain the information necessary for analysis were observation, interviews, and tests analysis. These instruments showed the pertinent information to determine the causes of the low level of the students and the types of competences the students were taught in classes.MaestríaMagister en la Enseñanza del Ingle

Electrical and magnetic faults diagnosis in permanent magnet synchronous motors

Permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs) are an alternative in critical applications where high-speed operation, compactness and high efficiency are required. In these applications it is highly desired to dispose of an on-line, reliable and cost-effective fault diagnosis method. Fault prediction and diagnosis allows increasing electric machines performance and raising their lifespan, thus reducing maintenance costs, while ensuring optimum reliability, safe operation and timely maintenance. Consequently this thesis is dedicated to the diagnosis of magnetic and electrical faults in PMSMs. As a first step, the behavior of a healthy machine is studied, and with this aim a new 2D finite element method (FEM) modelbased system for analyzing surface-mounted PSMSs with skewed rotor magnets is proposed. It is based on generating a geometric equivalent non-skewed permanent magnet distribution which accounts for the skewed distribution of the practical rotor, thus avoiding 3D geometries and greatly reducing the computational burden of the problem. To diagnose demagnetization faults, this thesis proposes an on-line methodology based on monitoring the zero-sequence voltage component (ZSVC). Attributes of the proposed method include simplicity, very low computational burden and high sensibility when compared with the well known stator currents analysis method. A simple expression of the ZSVC is deduced, which can be used as a fault indicator parameter. Furthermore, mechanical effects arising from demagnetization faults are studied. These effects are analyzed by means of FEM simulations and experimental tests based on direct measurements of the shaft trajectory through self-mixing interferometry. For that purpose two perpendicular laser diodes are used to measure displacements in both X and Y axes. Laser measurements proved that demagnetization faults may induce a quantifiable deviation of the rotor trajectory. In the case of electrical faults, this thesis studies the effects of resistive unbalance and stator winding inter-turn short-circuits in PMSMs and compares two methods for detecting and discriminating both faults. These methods are based on monitoring and analyzing the third harmonic component of the stator currents and the first harmonic of the ZSVC. Finally, the Vold-Kalman filtering order tracking algorithm is introduced and applied to extract selected harmonics related to magnetic and electrical faults when the machine operates under variable speed and different load levels. Furthermore, different fault indicators are proposed and their behavior is validated by means of experimental data. Both simulation and experimental results show the potential of the proposed methods to provide helpful and reliable data to carry out a simultaneous diagnosis of resistive unbalance and stator winding inter-turn faults

Procedimientos sin audiencias en el arbitraje comercial internacional

In international commercial arbitration, hearings allow the arbitral tribunal to listen to each party’s arguments. At hearings, each party may also call witnesses and experts. Neither the UNCITRAL Model Law nor the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules provide expressly for the right to a hearing, meaning that de lege data there is no such right. Thus, the decision on whether or not to hold a hearing rests primarily with the parties or, depending on the case, with the arbitral tribunal. The arbitration community’s response to COVID-19 has stressed substituting face-to-face hearings with virtual hearings. Yet the question of whether such hearings are (or are not) necessary remains largely overlooked. This article examines the idea of arbitral proceedings without hearings.En el arbitraje comercial internacional, las audiencias permiten que el tribunal arbitral oiga los argumentos a partir de los cuales cada una de las partes intenta justificar su pretensión, la cual podría tener un carácter principal o incidental. Las audiencias podrían servir, además, para evacuar testigos y expertos. Ni la Ley Modelo de la Comisión de las Naciones Unidas para el Derecho Mercantil Internacional (CNUDMI) ni el Reglamento de Arbitraje de la CNUDMI se refieren expresamente al derecho a una audiencia, de manera que, de lege lata, no existe dicho derecho. Así que la decisión vinculada con la posibilidad de celebrar una audiencia pertenece, por excelencia, a las partes o, según el caso, al tribunal arbitral. Con la llegada del COVID-19, la comunidad arbitral ha hecho énfasis en la sustitución de audiencias presenciales por audiencias virtuales. Empero, el tema de si tales audiencias son o no necesarias permanece inexplorado. El presente artículo examina la idea de los procedimientos arbitrales sin audiencias

Alternatives to litigation could enhance the quality of Latin America's underperforming justice systems

Processes like mediation, conciliation, and arbitration can be cheaper, faster, and much more effective than going through the courts. A greater emphasis on their use could help reduce court congestion, minimise public expenditure, and ultimately improve wider economic performance, writes Julio-César Betancourt

Introduction

In 1984, a workshop was held on "climatic variability of the eastern North Pacific and western North America." From it has emerged an annual series of workshops held each spring at the Asilomar Conference Center, Monterey Peninsula, California. These annual gatherings have come to be called PACLIM (Pacific Climate) Workshops, reflecting broad interests in the climatologies associated with the Pacific Ocean. Participants in the six workshops that have convened since 1984 have included atmospheric scientists, hydrologists, geologists, glaciologists, oceanographers, limnologists, and both marine and terrestrial biologists

Reexaminando la noción de Resolución Alternativa de Disputas (ADR) en el contexto del derecho de acceso a la justicia ‘no jurisdiccional’ = Reexamining the notion of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in the context of the right of access to ‘non-jurisdictional’ justice

Resumen: La noción de “Resolución Alternativa de Disputas”, generalmente conocida como “ADR”, ha recibido una importante acogida por parte de la literatura del common law y lo mismo puede decirse en cuanto sus principales categorías (negociación, mediación y arbitraje). ADR, lato sensu, se refiere a la idea de utilizar toda una gran variedad de mecanismos no jurisdiccionales destinados a pre­venir, manejar, resolver o solucionar conflictos intersubjetivos. De modo que la expresión resolución alternativa de disputas es, en cierta manera, insuficiente para suministrar una visión integral de todas las opciones (o alternativas) disponibles. Este artículo reexamina la noción de ADR y proporciona una novedosa visión del pasado, presente y futuro de esta relativamente nueva disciplina.Palabras clave: ADR, resolución alternativa de disputas, acceso a la justicia.Abstract: The notion of “Alternative Dispute Resolution”, commonly known as “ADR”, has re­ceived considerable attention in common law literature, and the same can be said about the main ADR categories (negotiation, mediation and arbitration). ADR, lato sensu, refers to the idea of utilising a wide variety of non-jurisdictional mechanisms that are intended to prevent, manage, resolve or settle disputes. Thus, the expression alternative dispute resolution is, somewhat, technically insufficient to account for the whole range of options (or alternatives) available. This article re-examines the notion of ADR and provides a novel insight into the past, present and future of this relatively new discipline.Keywords: ADR, alternative dispute resolution, access to justice