Validation of a global satellite rainfall product for real time monitoring of meteorological extremes

The real time monitoring of storms is important for the management and prevention of flood risks. However, in the southeast of Spain, it seems that the density of the rain gauge network may not be sufficient to adequately characterize the rainfall spatial distribution or the high rainfall intensities that are reached during storms. Satellite precipitation products such as PERSIANN-CCS (Precipitation Estimation from Remotely Sensed Information using Artificial Neural Networks - Cloud Classification System) could be used to complement the automatic rain gauge networks and so help solve this problem. However, the PERSIANN-CCS product has only recently become available, so its operational validity for areas such as south-eastern Spain is not yet known. In this work, a methodology for the hourly validation of PERSIANN-CCS is presented. We used the rain gauge stations of the SIAM (Sistema de Información Agraria de Murcia) network to study three storms with a very high return period. These storms hit the east and southeast of the Iberian Peninsula and resulted in the loss of human life, major damage to agricultural crops and a strong impact on many different types of infrastructure. The study area is the province of Murcia (Region of Murcia), located in the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula, covering an area of more than 11,000 km2 and with a population of almost 1.5 million. In order to validate the PERSIANN-CCS product for these three storms, contrasts were made with the hyetographs registered by the automatic rain gauges, analyzing statistics such as bias, mean square difference and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Although in some cases the temporal distribution of rainfall was well captured by PERSIANN-CCS, in several rain gauges high intensities were not properly represented. The differences were strongly correlated with the rain gauge precipitation, but not with satellite-obtained rainfall. The main conclusion concerns the need for specific local calibration for the study area if PERSIANN-CCS is to be used as an operational tool for the monitoring of extreme meteorological phenomena.This work is the result of a postdoctoral contract funded by Saavedra Fajardo programme (Ref. 20023/SF/16) of the Consejería de Educación y Universidades of CARM (Autonomous Community of Murcia Region), by the Fundación Séneca-Agencia de Ciencia y Tecnología de la Región de Murcia. The support and availability of information from the Center for Hydrometeorology and Remote Sensing of University of California-Irvine (USA), and from Instituto Murciano de Investigación y Desarrollo Agrario y Alimentario (IMIDA) of CARM are also acknowledged

Estrategias de futuro para el destino tradicional de la Costa Blanca: el plan de valorización turística del patrimonio cultural de la provincia de Alicante

XII Coloquio de Geografía del Turismo, Ocio y Recreación de la Asociación de Geógrafos Españoles. Colmenarejo (Madrid), del 17 al 19 de junio de 2010.Publicad

Prevención y seguimiento de factores limitantes del trabajo en equipo en experiencias ABP

En el marco del aprendizaje basado en proyectos (ABP) son tan importantes las competencias técnicas que se van adquiriendo como otras de comportamiento o contextuales. De hecho existen algunos factores limitantes del trabajo en equipo, o piedras en las que es frecuente tropezar, que pueden condicionar el desarrollo de los proyectos si no se previenen o se identifican a tiempo, y esto es aplicable para cualquier materia que utilice la metodología ABP. En este trabajo presentamos cuál ha sido nuestro enfoque durante dos cursos académicos consecutivos a la hora de prever y supervisar cuáles podían ser esos factores que limitarían, cuando no estaban ya limitando, el correcto de-sarrollo de los proyectos en sus distintas fases. Como veremos, proponemos una serie de medidas destinadas a comunicar a los alumnos con anticipación cuáles son las posibles limitaciones con las que se podrán encontrar durante el proceso de ABP. Además hemos hecho uso de diversas herramientas orientadas a la identificación justo a tiempo de posibles conflictos o desajustes del trabajo en equipo. Nuestros resultados muestran la importancia de tomar esta serie de medidas concretas con el fin de desarrollar el proceso de aprendizaje satisfactoriamente.In relation to Project-based Learning, we consider that both technical and behavioral skills are equally important. In fact, there are some constraining factors of the teamwork that makes difficult the development of the projects if they are not anticipated or identified just in time. This is valid for any subject following a PBL approach. In this work we introduce the methodology we applied throughout two consecutive years to prevent and supervise those factors that might con-strain the right development of the different stages of the projects. As we will show, we make use of a rich set of tools oriented to identify discrepancies or difficulties over the different stages of PBL. Our conclusions show the importance of adopting this kind of steps in order to improve the learning process

The IEEE 1906.1 Standard: nanocommunications as a new source of data

Nanoscale communications is a new paradigm encompassing all those concerns related to the exchange of information among devices at the nanometer scale. A network infrastructure consisting of a huge amount of nano-devices is envisaged to ensure robust, reliable and coordinated data transmission. This will enable a plethora of forthcoming applications and services in many different research fields, such as personalized medicine, synthetic biology, environmental science or industry, which will lead to outstanding and unprecedented advances. The IEEE P1906.1 standard provides a conceptual and general framework to set the starting point for future developments in nanoscale communication networks. This paper reviews the latest IEEE P1906.1 recommendations, observing their main features when applied to the electromagnetic (EM) nanocommunication area. We contribute by identifying and discussing the principal shortcomings of the standard, to which further research efforts must be devoted. We also provide interesting guidelines for focusing the object of future investigations.This work has been supported by the project AIM, ref. TEC2016-76465-C2-1-R (AEI/FEDER, UE)

A nanoscale communication network scheme and energy model for a human hand scenario

Real-time monitoring of medical test parameters as well as biological and chemical substances inside the human body is an aspiration which might facilitate the control of pathologies and would ensure better effectiveness in diagnostics and treatments. Future Body Area NanoNetworks (BANN) represent an ongoing effort to complement these initiatives, although due to its early stage of development, further research is required. This paper contributes with a hierarchical BANN architecture consisting of two types of nanodevices, namely, nanonodes and a nanorouter, which are conceptually designed using technologically available electronic components. A straightforward communication scheme operating at the THz band for the exchange of information among nanodevices is also proposed. Communications are conducted in a human hand scenario since, unlike other parts of the human body, the negative impact of path loss and molecular absorption noise on the propagation of electromagnetic waves in biological tissues is mitigated. However, data transmission is restricted by the tiny size of nanodevices and their extremely limited energy storing capability. To overcome this concern, nanodevices must be powered through the bloodstream and external ultrasound energy harvesting sources. Under these conditions, the necessary energy and its management have been thoroughly examined and assessed. The results obtained reveal the outstanding ability of nanonodes to recharge, thus enabling each pair of nanonode–nanorouter to communicate every 52 min. This apparently long period is compensated by the considerably high number of nanonodes in the network, which satisfies a quasi-constant monitoring of medical parameter readings.This work has been supported by the project AIM, ref. TEC2016-76465-C2-1-R (AEI/FEDER, UE). Sebastian Canovas-Carrasco also thanks the Spanish MECD for an FPU (ref. FPU16/03530) pre-doctoral fellowship

Interlearning: sistema interactivo de aprendizaje

Interlearning es una herramienta interactiva de apoyo al aprendizaje activo en el aula diseñada para su uso con dispositivos móviles. Su finalidad es permitir al profesor que defina un conjunto de cuestionarios para ser resueltos por los estudiantes en el aula y proporcionar una retroalimentación inmediata de los resultados. Así el profesor conocerá el grado de asimilación de contenidos, las opiniones o valoraciones de los estudiantes y, del mismo modo, los alumnos podrán examinar su progreso durante el aprendizaje. Los informes de evolución de Interlearning se producen en tiempo real, conforme van contestando los estudiantes, y además están constituidos por diversas gráficas que permiten analizar de forma sintética gran cantidad de información. Interlearning, en su conjunto, está constituido por una plataforma Web, para la gestión de preguntas y cuestionarios, y de una aplicación móvil para dispositivos Android con la que poder resolver dichos cuestionarios. En este artículo se describen tanto la herramienta como algunos resultados derivados del uso de la misma en la Universidad de Murcia.SUMMARY -- Interlearning is an interactive tool for active learning designed for mobile devices. Its main goal is to provide teachers with some tools to create and publish questionnaires and quizzes which will be solved by students. It is especially designed to be used in the classroom, since it is suitable to obtain an immediate feedback about the learning progress. Moreover, students can also get up-to-date information about their evolution. Aggregated reports are generated in realtime as the students submit their responses to the system. They are conformed by several charts which summarize the results obtained for each question in the quiz, and also a histogram about the global performance of the whole group. Interlearning is comprised by a Web portal for the management of questions, deliveries, and reports, and an Android app for the students. In this paper we provide some details about this tool and we also present some results obtained during the use of Interlearning in the University of Murcia

Numerical simulation of density-driven flow and heat transport processes in porous media using the network method

Density-driven flow and heat transport processes in 2-D porous media scenarios are governed by coupled, non-linear, partial differential equations that normally have to be solved numerically. In the present work, a model based on the network method simulation is designed and applied to simulate these processes, providing steady state patterns that demonstrate its computational power and reliability. The design is relatively simple and needs very few rules. Two applications in which heat is transported by natural convection in confined and saturated media are studied: slender boxes heated from below (a kind of Bénard problem) and partially heated horizontal plates in rectangular domains (the Elder problem). The streamfunction and temperature patterns show that the results are coherent with those of other authors: steady state patterns and heat transfer depend both on the Rayleigh number and on the characteristic Darcy velocity derived from the values of the hydrological, thermal and geometrical parameters of the problems.The first author acknowledges the support of the Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena through a pre-doctoral scholarship and the economic support of the Universidad Católica del Norte to cover the costs to publish in open access

Mejora del diseño de un servicio mediante la metodología AMFE : una aplicación en una empersa hotelera

La realización del proyecto ha permitido implementar una de las diversas herramientas de control de la calidad sobre un producto o servicio, denominada AMFE, al ser una herramienta sencilla de aplicar con coste cero, requirió de dedicación, comunicación de todo el personal implicado e interés para que los resultados finales resultaran satisfactorios. Se ha utilizado una hoja de registro, en la cual se buscó recoger todos los posibles modos de fallo del servicio de habitaciones de un hotel, para su posterior seguimiento, realizado durante dos semanas por parte del equipo de trabajo del hotel. Más tarde, tras diversas reuniones con el personal de trabajo, y haciendo uso de su dilatada experiencia, se completaron los datos requeridos de los coeficientes de gravedad y no detección. Finalmente, los datos obtenidos fueron evaluados mediante la aplicación de la herramienta AMFE, averiguando dónde hacer más hincapié y proponiendo una serie de medidas correctoras, puestas a disposición para ser aplicadas o no posteriormente por parte de las personas encargadas de tomar las decisiones en dicho hotel. En lo referente al trabajo futuro, se podría ampliar el proyecto mediante la utilización de otra herramienta de mejora de la calidad, que pudiera actuar como complemento del AMFE, lo cual aportaría a esta herramienta una mayor efectividad en casos de fallos múltiples, ya que en este tipo de situaciones no es una herramienta que por sí sola sea recomendable llevarla a cabo. Aplicada junto al árbol de fallos, solucionaría esta carencia.Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería IndustrialUniversidad Politécnica de Cartagen

The Perceptions of Professional Values among Students at a Spanish Nursing School

(1) Background: This study aims to reflect student nurses' perceptions of professional values across the four training years. (2) Methods: This study was designed as a cross-sectional study; data were collected using the Nurses' Professional Values Scale-Revised, adapted by Basurto-Hoyuelos. A total of 315 student nurses participated from a Nursing Faculty in Spain representing each of the four academic years. (3) Results: Students' perceptions of professional values were significantly correlated with their academic year. Overall, students' scores were higher in the ethics dimension. The two highest scores were for Maintain patient confidentiality for years 1 and 2 (4.77 and 4.68, respectively) and Safeguard patients' right to privacy for years 3 and 4 (4.95 and 4.98, respectively). Lower scores were observed in the professional expertise dimension across all years, and corresponded to a single item Participate in peer review (3.51, 3.38, 3.98, and 3.26, respectively). (4) Conclusions: This study is relevant as it highlights how nursing students' perceptions of professional values change overtime, even during the four years of their training. The ethics dimension was the most highly regarded across all academic years. However, the professional expertise dimension requires greater attention throughout the degree as students regarded it as less important for their immediate future