Innovación de productos turísticos en instalaciones hoteleras. Un procedimiento desde los sistemas adaptativos complejos

Aim: To design an innovating procedure of touristic products using a complex adaptative system approach to generate new and improved products. Methods: Theoretical methods, such as the historical-logical, analysis and synthesis, and induction-deduction methods were used. Empirical methods like interview, observation, and survey were used as well. Team working was the technique used, through parallel learning structures or teams, whose role facilitated training, learning, and innovation. Besides, computerized intelligence techniques were used, particularly association rules, and Markov chains, to generate innovation sequences. Main results: A procedure relying on complex adaptative systems was designed, which can generate adaptative characteristics that modify and adapt innovation sequencing to resort hotels, based on SAC-InnoTour software designed for this purpose. Implementation at Melia Cayo Coco Resort permitted the development of new or improved products, and to identify the competitive advantages that contributed to customer differentiation and satisfaction. Conclusions: The procedure works as a complex adaptative system, since it generates adaptative characteristics that modify the structure, which was observed in the innovation sequence produced with the software. The implementation of this procedure at the chosen resort, corroborated its practical validity, based on its pertinence and the fulfillment of the set work objectives.Objetivo: Diseñar un procedimiento de innovación de productos turísticos desde un enfoque de sistemas adaptativos complejos para la generación de nuevos y mejorados productos. Métodos: Se utilizaron métodos teóricos como el histórico-lógico, el análisis-síntesis y la inducción-deducción; métodos empíricos como la entrevista, la observación y la encuesta. Se empleó la técnica de trabajo en grupo mediante estructuras paralelas de aprendizaje o equipos, cuyo funcionamiento facilitó la capacitación, el aprendizaje y la innovación. Además se usaron técnicas de inteligencia computacional, específicamente reglas de asociación y cadenas de Markov para generar secuencias de innovación. Principales resultados: Se diseñó un procedimiento que, basado en los sistemas adaptativos complejos, genera características adaptativas que modifican y adecuan la secuencia de la innovación a la instalación hotelera, apoyado en el software SAC-InnoTour elaborado para estos fines. Su aplicación en el Hotel Meliá Cayo Coco permitió desarrollar nuevos o mejorados productos, así como identificar ventajas competitivas que contribuyeron a la diferenciación y satisfacción de los clientes en el hotel. Conclusiones: El procedimiento funciona como un sistema adaptativo complejo porque genera características adaptativas que modifican su estructura, lo cual se evidenció en la secuencia de innovación generada con el software. La aplicación del procedimiento en el hotel seleccionado, corroboró su validez práctica a partir de su pertinencia y el cumplimiento de los objetivos de trabajo planeados

Flux-cutting and flux-transport effects in type-II superconductor slabs in a parallel rotating magnetic field

The magnetic response of irreversible type-II superconductor slabs subjected to in-plane rotating magnetic field is investigated by applying the circular, elliptic, extended-elliptic, and rectangular flux-line-cutting critical-state models. Specifically, the models have been applied to explain experiments on a PbBi rotating disk in a fixed magnetic field ${\bm H}_a$, parallel to the flat surfaces. Here, we have exploited the equivalency of the experimental situation with that of a fixed disk under the action of a parallel magnetic field, rotating in the opposite sense. The effect of both the magnitude $H_a$ of the applied magnetic field and its angle of rotation $\alpha_s$ upon the magnetization of the superconductor sample is analyzed. When $H_a$ is smaller than the penetration field $H_P$, the magnetization components, parallel and perpendicular to ${\bm H_a}$, oscillate with increasing the rotation angle. On the other hand, if the magnitude of the applied field, $H_a$, is larger than $H_P$, both magnetization components become constant functions of $\alpha_s$ at large rotation angles. The evolution of the magnetic induction profiles inside the superconductor is also studied.Comment: 12 pages, 29 figure

CLASSROOM LANGUAGE: UNIFYING KEY EXPRESSIONS IN ENGLISH

The rise of CLIL in many European countries, as in the case of Spain, has manifested certain discoordination between teachers who use the same language (English) as vehicle for communication in different subjects(CLIL and non-CLIL subjects). This paper seeks for highlighting the necessity of unifying key expressions in English -at different educational stages-, in order to provide students the common classroom vocabulary and expressions. Thus, standardizing the expressions used in those subjects taught in the foreign language suggests being a suitable option to that struggle.Keywords: English; CLIL; EFL; teachers; foreign language

870 micron continuum observations of the bubble-shaped nebula Gum 31

We are presenting here a study of the cold dust in the infrared ring nebula Gum 31. We aim at deriving the physical properties of the molecular gas and dust associated with the nebula, and investigating its correlation with the star formation in the region, that was probably triggered by the expansion of the ionization front. We use 870 micron data obtained with LABOCA to map the dust emission. The obtained LABOCA image was compared to archival IR,radio continuum, and optical images. The 870 micron emission follows the 8 micron (Spitzer), 250 micron, and 500 micron (Herschel) emission distributions showing the classical morphology of a spherical shell. We use the 870 micron and 250 micron images to identify 60 dust clumps in the collected layers of molecular gas using the Gaussclumps algorithm. The clumps have effective deconvolved radii between 0.16 pc and 1.35 pc, masses between 70 Mo and 2800 Mo, and volume densities between 1.1x10^3 cm^-3 and 2.04x10^5 cm^-3. The total mass of the clumps is 37600 Mo. The dust temperature of the clumps is in the range from 21 K to 32 K, while inside the HII region reaches ~ 40 K. The clump mass distribution is well-fitted by a power law dN/dlog(M/Mo) proportional to M^(-alpha), with alpha=0.93+/-0.28. The slope differs from those obtained for the stellar IMF in the solar neighborhood, suggesting that the clumps are not direct progenitors of single stars/protostars. The mass-radius relationship for the 41 clumps detected in the 870 microns emission shows that only 37% of them lie in or above the high-mass star formation threshold, most of them having candidate YSOs projected inside. A comparison of the dynamical age of the HII region with the fragmentation time, allowed us to conclude that the collect and collapse mechanism may be important for the star formation at the edge of Gum 31, although other processes may also be acting.Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures. Accepted for publication in A&

Fibre-matrix debonding in transverse cyclic loading of unidirectional composite plies

COMPTEST 2006 — 10,11,12 abril 2006 OportoFatigue of composite materials is of great concern in load-carrying structures. In fact, most failures of composite structures can be attributed to fatigue. Due to the heterogeneity of composite materials at different scales, a large variety of interacting mechanisms contribute to fatigue failure. If the incipient mechanisms at the onset of damage accumulation could be better understood, bases for a physically based fatigue law may be built and measures could be taken in order to extend the lifetime of the material

Campo tensional en el entorno de una fisura. Determinación de KI y KII usando técnicas fotoelásticas

Trabajo reproducido y difundido en el repositorio idUS con permiso de la Asociación Española de Ingeniería Mecánica (AEIM)Tras introducir la forma general del campo de tensiones en un borde de grieta se hace una exposición detallada de los métodos para medir K I y K II, resaltando sus ventajas e inconvenientes. Por su generalldad, se ha implementado un método que desarrolla en serie las funciones de tensión. La introducción de las medidas fotoelásticas (que pueden ser de campo lejano) conduce a un sistema sobredetermlnado no lineal de ecuaclones, que es resuelto por un métooo de Neewton-Raphson y mínimos cuadrados. Sobre una aplicación experimental se comentan las caracterlstlcas de este métodoFirst of all, the general form of the crack-tip stress field is introduced. Then, a detailed review of K I-K II methods is pressented, showing thelr features. A stress-functions series expansion method has been implemented, due to its generality. Experimental far-fleld isochromatic polnts are used to fit the series expanslon coefflclents and the overdeterminlstlc non-linear equation system is solved with a Newton-Rapshon least-squares method. Finally the features of thls method are dlscussed uslng an experimental applicatio

The 5'-3' exoribonuclease Pacman (Xrn1) regulates expression of the heat shock protein Hsp67Bc and the microRNA miR-277-3p in Drosophila wing imaginal discs

Pacman/Xrn1 is a highly conserved exoribonuclease known to play a critical role in gene regulatory events such as control of mRNA stability, RNA interference and regulation via miRNAs. Although Pacman has been well studied in Drosophila tissue culture cells, the biologically relevant cellular pathways controlled by Pacman in natural tissues are unknown. This study shows that a hypomorphic mutation in pacman (pcm5) results in smaller wing imaginal discs. These tissues, found in the larva, are known to grow and differentiate to form wing and thorax structures in the adult fly. Using microarray analysis, followed by quantitative RT-PCR, we show that eight mRNAs were increased in level by >2 fold in the pcm5 mutant wing discs compared to the control. The levels of pre mRNAs were tested for five of these mRNAs; four did not increase in the pcm5 mutant, showing that they are regulated at the post-transcriptional level and therefore could be directly affected by Pacman. These transcripts include one that encodes the heat-shock protein Hsp67Bc, which is upregulated 11.9-fold at the post-transcriptional level and 2.3-fold at the protein level. One miRNA, miR-277-3p, is 5.6-fold downregulated at the post-transcriptional level in mutant discs, suggesting that Pacman affects its processing in this tissue. Together, these data show that a relatively small number of mRNAs and miRNAs substantially change in abundance in pacman mutant wing imaginal discs. Since Hsp67Bc is known to regulate autophagy and protein synthesis, it is possible that Pacman may control the growth of wing imaginal discs by regulating these processes

Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) as a safe alternative for the resection of pulmonary metastases: a retrospective cohort study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>VATS has become a preferred method for benign surgical conditions, yet still remains controversial for malignancies. The purpose of this study was to review our results of pulmonary metastasectomies using both conventional open thoracotomy and VATS techniques.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This is a retrospective chart review of pulmonary metastasectomies performed from 1986 to 2006. The surgical approach used for the initial pulmonary metastasectomy was either open thoracotomy or VATS. Main outcomes were overall survival and recurrence free survival, evaluated using Kaplan Meier analysis. A non-inferiority margin was set at 0.2.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 280 surgical procedures were performed on 186 patients. From 171 eligible individuals, 135 patients were treated with thoracotomy (82 M, 53 F; median age 49 years), and 36 with VATS (18 M, 18 F; median age 58.5 years). Primary cancers were mainly: 81 sarcoma (47%), 26 colorectal adenocarcinoma (15%) and 22 renal cell carcinoma (13%). Median postoperative follow was 26.2 months. The conversion rate was 10.3% and there were no cases of pleural cavity seeding. The 5-year overall survival rates were 58.8% for thoracotomy and 69.6% for VATS, with median overall survival of 53.2 months and 30.1 months, respectively (p = 0.03). The estimated difference in 5-year overall survival was 10.8%. Second occurrences were noted in 59 thoracotomy and 10 VATS patients. The 5-year recurrence free survival rates were 51% in thoracotomy and 67% in VATS (p = 0.27), with median recurrence free survival of 24.8 months and 25.6 months, respectively.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In cases of pulmonary metastases, VATS is an acceptable alternative that is both safe and efficacious. Non-inferiority analysis of 5-year overall survival demonstrates that VATS is equivalent to thoracotomy. VATS patients also have a longer recurrence free survival. Based on our experience, it is permissible to use VATS resection in these circumstances: small tumor, fewer nodules, single lesion, age ≤ 53, unilateral, tumor size amenable to wedge resection, and non-recurrent disease.</p