A model-driven engineering process for autonomic sensor-actuator networks

Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) are the next generation of embedded ICT systems designed to be aware of the physical environment by using sensor-actuator networks to provide users with a wide range of smart applications and services. Many of these smart applications are possible due to the incorporation of autonomic control loops that implement advanced processing and analysis of historical and real-time data measured by sensors; plan actions according to a set of goals or policies; and execute plans through actuators. The complexity of this kind of systems requires mechanisms that can assist the system?s design and development. This paper presents a solution for assisting the design and development of CPS based on Model-Driven Development: MindCPS (doMaIN moDel for CPS) solution. MindCPS solution is based on a model that provides modelling primitives for explicitly specifying the autonomic behaviour of CPS and model transformations for automatically generating part of the CPS code. In addition to the automatic code generation, the MindCPS solution offers the possibility of rapidly configuring and developing the core behaviour of a CPS, even for nonsoftware engineers. The MindCPS solution has been put into practice to deploy a smart metering system in a demonstrator located at the Technical University of Madrid

Actitudes homófobas de los jóvenes hacia gays y lesbianas

La homofobia constituye un problema social que lejos de eliminarse parece adaptarse a los tiempos actuales tomando formas más sutiles que son explicadas en base a factores personales. El objetivo de esta investigación está dirigido a conocer los niveles de homofobia de los jóvenes. Para ello, se tomó una muestra de 601 estudiantes universitarios y de ciclos formativos con edades comprendidas entre 17.46 y 34.47 años (M = 22.47 años y D.T. = 2.96), de los cuales el 65.1% son mujeres, a los que se les administró la escala Homphobia Modern Scale (Raja y Stokes, 1998) validada al español por Rodríguez, Lameiras, Carrera y Vallejo (2013). Pese a que los niveles de homofobia de los participantes son bajos, existen diferencias significativas entre los diferentes grupos en función de sus características. Los análisis de ANOVA factorial mostraron que los mayores niveles de homofobia quedan explicados por ser hombre, no universitario, no tener amigos homosexuales y por estar en los cursos iniciales de la rama de conocimiento de ciencias y experimentales. Las conclusiones subrayan la importancia de la formación para la promoción de actitudes positivas hacia las personas homosexuales.Homophobia is a social problem that is far from disappearing and instead seems to adapt to the current times becoming a much more subtle forms that are explained for personal factors. The aim of this study is to find out the levels of homophobia among young people. For this, a sample of 601 university and vocational training students ranging from 17.46 to 34.47 years old (M = 22.47, SD = 2.96) was selected, of which 65.1% are women, who were administered the Modern Homphobia Scale (Raja & Stokes, 1998) validated the Spanish for Rodriguez, Lameiras, Carrera & Vallejo (2013). Even though homophobia levels of participants are low, there are significant differences between the groups, according to their characteristics. The factorial ANOVA analysis showed that the greater levels of homophobic attitudes are explained as be a man, not college, not having gay friends and being in the beginning courses of the branch of knowledge of sciences and experimental. The conclusions underline the importance of training to promote positive attitudes toward homosexual persons

An analysis of techniques and methods for technical debt management: a reflection from the architecture perspective

Technical debt is a metaphor referring to the consequences of weak software development. Managing technical debt is necessary in order to keep it under control, and several techniques have been developed with the goal of accomplishing this. However, available techniques have grown disperse and managers lack guidance. This paper covers this gap by providing a systematic mapping of available techniques and methods for technical debt management, covering architectural debt, and identifying existing gaps that prevent to manage technical debt efficiently

Gestión del capital intelectual: aplicación al mantenimiento técnico.

Se propone un modelo y un cuadro de indicadores para la gestión del Capital Intelectual en el departamento de mantenimiento técnico de los equipos de un hospital. Bajo la perspectiva de mejorar la gestión de Capital Intelectual se analiza la situación del departamento, se establece un diagnóstico y una propuesta de actuación

Simulation of Self-Consumption Photovoltaic Installations: Profitability Thresholds

PV self-consumption can contribute positively to the spread of PV and, therefore, to the progress of renewable energies as a key element in a decarbonized energy model. However, the policies of each country regarding the promotion of this type of renewable technology is fundamental for their growth. Despite the high number of sunshine hours registered in Spain, self-consumption in this country has not been authorized until recently. In this new context, this work presents a systematic study of the profitability limits of a self-consumption PV installation under different conditions of installed peak power, orientation and inclination of the PV panels and level of obstruction of the installation. It was proved that, for the case of study (Córdoba, Spain), the maximum profitability was achieved for PV panels oriented to the south and with an inclination of 15° whereas the most unfavourable conditions are those of PV panels with an orientation and inclination of 180° and 90°, respectively. Furthermore, when the level of obstruction increases the maximum of the Net Present Value of self-consumptions PV installations decreases and this optimal value is achieved for installations with lower power. Finally, empirical adjustment equations have been developed to estimate the profitability parameters of self-consumptions PV installations as a function of their design variables

New Omnidirectional Sensor Based on Open-Source Software and Hardware for Tracking and Backtracking of Dual-Axis Solar Trackers in Photovoltaic Plants

In this work, an omnidirectional sensor that enables identification of the direction of the celestial sphere with maximum solar irradiance is presented. The sensor, based on instantaneous measurements, functions as a position server for dual-axis solar trackers in photovoltaic plants. The proposed device has been developed with free software and hardware, which makes it a pioneering solution because it is open and accessible as well as capable of being improved by the scientific community, thereby contributing to the rapid advancement of technology. In addition, the device includes an algorithm developed ex professo that makes it possible to predetermine the regions of the celestial sphere for which, according to the geometric characteristics of the PV plant, there would be shading between the panels. In this way, solar trackers do not have to locate the Sun’s position at all times according to astronomical models, while taking into account factors such as shadows or cloudiness that also affect levels of incident irradiance on solar collectors. Therefore, with this device, it is possible to provide photovoltaic plants with dual-axis solar tracking with a low-cost device that helps to optimise the trajectory of the trackers and, consequently, their radiative capture and energy production

Macroeconomics in practice: using WIKIS for collaborative learning

This project is based on the creation of collaborative wikis for students of Macroeconomics to elaborate a final work in which they apply the theoretical knowledge learnt in the subject to the real world. The initiative was implemented during the course 2015-2016 and aimed at 140 students enrolled in the subject at the Degree of Finance and Accountancy of the University of Cadiz. To emphasize the link between the theories explained in class and the real world, in previous courses we have already used news and other resources. With this project, we now introduce the use of wikis, which consist on the creation of a website to allow collaborative creation and modification of contents and structure from the web browser. Students were organized in 44 teams, of about 3 members, to examine data on a certain macroeconomic variable (i.e. inflation or GDP), in a particular geographical context (i.e. G20 or EU countries). The objectives of the project include: i) to enhance learning and comprehension of theoretical knowledge and ii) to contribute to the development of skills related to the subject, such as the skill to apply the acquired knowledge, the skill to analyze and search information and teamwork. Students’ opinions gathered from a survey at the end of the course suggest that these objectives have been achieved

Aceite de semilla de mostaza etíope con alto contenido en ácido oleico

Referencia OEPM: P9902552.-- Fecha de solicitud: 19/11/1999.-- Titular: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC).Aceite de semilla de mostaza etíope con alto contenido en ácido oleico. La presente invención se refiere a un aceite de semilla de mostaza etíope (nombre científico Brassica carinata A.Braun) carente de ácido erúcico (menos de 2% en peso respecto al contenido total en ácidos grasos del aceite) y con un contenido en ácido oleico entre el 60% y el 80% en peso del total de ácidos grasos. Este tipo de aceite no es producido en la naturaleza por plantas de mostaza etíope y ha sido obtenido mediante un procedimiento biotecnológico. El aceite es muy estable frente a la oxidación y las altas temperaturas, lo que hace que sea especialmente indicado en alimentación humana y también en la industria de aceites lubricantes.Peer reviewe

Genetic studies in sunflower broomrape

Much research has been conducted to identify sources of genetic resistance to sunflower broomrape (Orobanche cumana Wallr.) and to study their mode of inheritance. However, studies on the parasite have been scarce. This manuscript reviews three genetic studies in sunflower broomrape. First, the inheritance of the absence of pigmentation in a natural mutant of this species with yellow plant color phenotype was studied. In a first stage, lines from the unpigmented mutant and a normally pigmented population were developed by several generations of self-pollination. Plants of both lines were crossed and the F1, F2, and F3 generations were evaluated. The results indicated that plant pigmentation is controlled by a partially dominant allele at a single locus. Second, the unpigmented mutant was used to evaluate outcrossing potential of the species. Two experiments in which single unpigmented plants were surrounded by normally pigmented plants were conducted under pot and field conditions. The cross-fertilization rate was estimated as the percentage of F1 hybrids in the progenies of unpigmented plants, which averaged 21.5% in the pot and 28.8% in the field experiment. The results indicated that, under the conditions of this study, the species was not strictly self-pollinated. Finally, the inheritance of avirulence was studied in crosses of plants from lines of O. cumana races E and F, developed by several generations of self-pollination. The F1 and F3 generations were evaluated on the differential line P-1380 carrying the race-E resistance gene Or5. The results suggested that race E avirulence and race F virulence on P-1380 are allelic and controlled by a single locus, which confirmed the gene-for-gene theory for the O. cumana-sunflower interaction.The manuscript reviews research partially funded by Fundación Ramón Areces, Madrid. The contribution of Dr. Enrique Quesada Moraga, entomologist from the University of Córdoba, Spain, to taxonomic classification of pollinators is gratefully acknowledged. R. Pineda-Martos was the recipient of a PhD fellowship from the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) (JAEPre_08_00370)Peer Reviewe

A Methodology for Buildings Access to Solar Radiation in Sustainable Cities

The growing need to improve the environmental and energy sustainability of buildings involves the use of solar radiation incident on their surfaces. However, in cities, this task is complicated due to the constructive geometry that leads to shading between buildings. In this context, this work presents a study of solar access to the façades of buildings in cities. The methodology is based on the determination of the incident annual solar radiation in 121 significant points of each façade considering the twelve representative days of the year. To characterize the influence of the different city typologies on solar access, the urban solar coefficient is proposed. A study of two neighborhoods in Cordoba (Spain) with different urban settings have been analyzed. Specifically, two typologies of neighborhoods have been compared: one with “L-shaped” and “U-shaped blocks” and another with “Grouped blocks”. For both of them, the Urban Solar Coefficient has been calculated, obtaining a higher mean value for the neighborhood with “L-shaped” and “U-shaped blocks” (0.317) than for the one with “Grouped blocks” (0.260). Accordingly, the results show that urban morphology can influence the Urban Solar Coefficient and solar access. Finally, a regression model for each neighborhood has been obtained in order to determine the dependence of the Urban Solar Coefficient on neighborhood geometry factors