Do Quasi-Hyperbolic Preferences Explain Academic Procrastination? An Empirical Evaluation

Traditional neoclassical thought fails to explain questions such as problems of self-control. Behavioural economics have explained these matters on the basis of the intertemporal preferences of individuals and, specifically, the so-called (β, δ) model which emphasises present bias. This opens the way to the analysis of new situations in which people can adopt incorrect indecisions that make it necessary for the government to intervene. The literature which has developed the (β, δ) model and its implications has generated a categorisation of people that is widely used but which lacks a systematic empirical evaluation. It is important to value the need for this public action. In this article, we develop a method which makes it possible to verify the main implications that this model has to explain the procrastination of university students. Using an experimental time discount task with real monetary incentives, we estimate the students’ β and δ parameters and we analyse their correlation with their answers to a series of questions concerning how they plan to study for an exam. The results are ambiguous given that they back some of the model’s conclusions but reject others, including a number of the most basic ones, such as the relation between present biases and some of the categories of people, these being essential to predict their behaviour

Fuzzy Predictive Controller for Mobile Robot Path Tracking

IFAC Intelligent Components and Instruments for Control Applications, Annecy, France 1997This paper presents a way of implementing a Model Based Predictive Controller (MBPC) for mobile robot path-tracking. The method uses a non-linear model of mobile robot dynamics and thus allows an accurate prediction of the future trajectories. Constraints on the maximum attainable angular velocity is also considered by the algorithm. A fuzzy approach is used to implement the MBPC. The fuzzy controller has been trained using a lookup-table scheme, where the database of fuzzy-rules has been obtained automatically from a set of input-output training patterns, computed with the predictive controller. Experimental results obtained when applying the fuzzy controller to a TRC labmate mobile platform are given in the paper.Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología TAP95-0307Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología TAP96-884C

Un exhaustivo análisis de los grupos de comunicación españoles

Reseña del libro: García Santamaría, José Vicente (2016). Los grupos multimedia españoles. Análisis y estrategias. Barcelona: Editorial UOC

The Spanish Constitutional Court and the conflict between the right to freedom of information and the rights to protect one’s own honor, personal privacy and selfimage: jurisprudence review

El presente artículo revisa la jurisprudencia del Tribunal Constitucional desde su origen en 1982 hasta el año 2013 con la intención de conocer la fundamentación jurídica sobre el conflicto surgido entre los artículos 20.1 d) y 18.1 de la Constitución Española. Para llevar a cabo este análisis se ha revisado, en un total de 105 sentencias, la aplicación sistemática de una serie de doctrinas que el Tribunal ha establecido para fundamentar sus alegaciones: la ponderación de bienes, el reportaje neutral y el principio de proporcionalidad. Aunque la jurisprudencia de la Corte Constitucional ha asentado consistentemente a día de hoy las líneas definitorias que limitan tanto la libertad de información como los derechos al honor, la intimidad y la propia imagen, los resultados muestran un número de dictámenes, de los que se ha incluido una breve revisión, que contienen imprecisiones en la aplicación de estas doctrinas.This paper qualitatively reviews the Constitutional Court jurisprudence since its inception in 1982 until 2013 with the intent to gain knowledge about the legal basis used by the Court regarding the conflict between Articles 20.1 d) and 18.1 of the Spanish Constitution. To carry out this analysis, a number of established doctrines balance between fundamental rights, neutral reportage and the proportionality principle, have been revised in 105 sentences. The Constitutional Court has consistently settled the guidelines that define the limits on both the right to freedom of information and the rights to protect one’s own honor, personal privacy and selfimage. Although, the analysis shows a number of verdicts, of which a brief review has been included, that contain contradictions or ambiguities on applying such doctrines

Lactic Acid Bacteria and Yeast Inocula Modulate the Volatile Profile of Spanish-Style Green Table Olive Fermentations

In this work, Manzanilla Spanish-style green table olive fermentations were inoculated with Lactobacillus pentosus LPG1, Lactobacillus pentosus Lp13, Lactobacillus plantarum Lpl15, the yeast Wickerhanomyces anomalus Y12 and a mixed culture of all them. After fermentation (65 days), their volatile profiles in brines were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. A total of 131 volatile compounds were found, but only 71 showed statistical differences between at least, two fermentation processes. The major chemical groups were alcohols (32), ketones (14), aldehydes (nine), and volatile phenols (nine). Results showed that inoculation with Lactobacillus strains, especially L. pentosus Lp13, reduced the formation of volatile compounds. On the contrary, inoculation with W. anomalus Y12 increased their concentrations with respect to the spontaneous process, mainly of 1-butanol, 2-phenylethyl acetate, ethanol, and 2-methyl-1-butanol. Furthermore, biplot and biclustering analyses segregated fermentations inoculated with Lp13 and Y12 from the rest of the processes. The use of sequential lactic acid bacteria and yeasts inocula, or their mixture, in Spanish-style green table olive fermentation could be advisable practice for producing differentiated and high-quality products with improved aromatic profile.Gobierno de España-OliFilm-AGL-2013-48300-

A spiking neural network for real-time Spanish vowel phonemes recognition

This paper explores neuromorphic approach capabilities applied to real-time speech processing. A spiking recognition neural network composed of three types of neurons is proposed. These neurons are based on an integrative and fire model and are capable of recognizing auditory frequency patterns, such as vowel phonemes; words are recognized as sequences of vowel phonemes. For demonstrating real-time operation, a complete spiking recognition neural network has been described in VHDL for detecting certain Spanish words, and it has been tested in a FPGA platform. This is a stand-alone and fully hardware system that allows to embed it in a mobile system. To stimulate the network, a spiking digital-filter-based cochlea has been implemented in VHDL. In the implementation, an Address Event Representation (AER) is used for transmitting information between neurons.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad TEC2012-37868-C04-02/0

Using FPGA for visuo-motor control with a silicon retina and a humanoid robot

The address-event representation (AER) is a neuromorphic communication protocol for transferring asynchronous events between VLSI chips. The event information is transferred using a high speed digital parallel bus. This paper present an experiment based on AER for visual sensing, processing and finally actuating a robot. The AER output of a silicon retina is processed by an AER filter implemented into a FPGA to produce a mimicking behaviour in a humanoid robot (The RoboSapiens V2). We have implemented the visual filter into the Spartan II FPGA of the USB-AER platform and the Central Pattern Generator (CPG) into the Spartan 3 FPGA of the AER-Robot platform, both developed by authors.Unión Europea IST-2001-34124 (CAVIAR)Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología TIC-2003-08164-C03-0

O professor tem uma história!?

This descriptive study explores the insights of a group of language practitioners from a public university in Bogota, Colombia about a proposal focused on their experience reading aloud while applying storytelling techniques. In this exploratory study, the data collection instruments included video-recordings of the practitioners’ classes, reflective logs, field notes, and surveys. The results of this study suggest that exposing pre-service teachers to methodologies that include training in non-traditional teaching practices, such as reading aloud, combined with storytelling techniques, can have positive effects on their perspective towards their professional and personal growth as efl teachers. In addition, those effects might be influenced by factors such as how effective storytelling should be fostered, and storytelling and its pedagogical implications, and factors that inhibit storytelling. Este estudio explora la experiencia de un grupo de practicantes de una universidad en Bogotá, Colombia, sobre una propuesta enfocada en la lectura animada a través de técnicas de cuentería. En este estudio exploratorio, los instrumentos de recolección de información fueron videos de las clases de los practicantes, bitácoras, las cuales se escribieron en dos fases del proceso, diarios de campo y encuestas. Los resultados del estudio sugieren que presentando metodologías que incluyan entrenamiento en prácticas no tradicionales, como la lectura animada con técnicas de cuentería, puede tener efectos positivos en cuanto al crecimiento personal y profesional de profesores en formación. Factores tales como estrategias para llevar a cabo la lectura animada de un cuento, implicaciones pedagógicas y factores que inhiben el desarrollo de la lectura animada haciendo uso de las técnicas de cuentería son temas que surgieron del análisis de la información recogida  Este estudo explora a experiência de um grupo de estagiários de uma universidade em Bogotá, Colômbia, sobre uma proposta focalizada na leitura animada através de técnicas de narrativa oral. Neste estudo exploratório, os instrumentos de recolecção de informação foram vídeos das aulas dos estagiários, diários de bordo e enquetes. Os resultados do estudo sugerem que utilizar metodologias que incluam treinamento em práticas não tradicionais, como a leitura animada com técnicas de narrativa oral, pode gerar efeitos positivos sobre o crescimento pessoal e profissional de professores em formação. Fatores tais como estratégias para levar a cabo a leitura animada de um conto, implicações pedagógicas e fatores que inibem o desenvolvimento da leitura animada utilizando as técnicas de narrativa oral são temas que surgiram da análise da informação coletada.

A hybrid method combining JFPSO and probabilistic three-phase load flow for improving unbalanced voltages in distribution systems with photovoltaic generators

This paper presents a new hybrid method that combines JFPSO (Jumping Frog and Particle Swarm Optimization) and probabilistic three-phase load flow to improve unbalanced voltages in distribution systems with photovoltaic generators. This paper applies a new three phase probabilistic load flow based on the Monte Carlo simulation. The voltage regulation is one of the principal problems to be addressed in photovoltaic distributed generation. The proposed method defines the nodes where PVGCS (Photovoltaic Grid-Connected System) are connected and their mean power output minimizing the maximum value of voltage unbalances at the nodes. Numerical applications are presented using the unbalanced distribution system IEEE 13-nodes and including photovoltaic generators at several nodes. The results obtained show the decrease of the unbalance factor due to the presence of distributed generation.Departamento de Ingeniería Eléctrica y Térmic

La depuración franquista de la Junta para la Ampliación de Estudios e Investigaciones Científicas (JAE) : una aproximación cuantitativa

Este artículo pretende ofrecer una cuantificación global de la depuración franquista del personal investigador de la Junta para la Ampliación de Estudios e Investigaciones Científicas (JAE). El estudio parte de los listados de nóminas inmediatamente anteriores alestallido de la guerra civil para delimitar el personal investigador de preguerra y se basa en los resultados obtenidos en la búsqueda sistemática de información sobre la trayectoria de estos investigadores en la posguerra. El resultado es que la depuración del personal investigador de la JAE por el franquismo fue muy dura, con más de un 40% de científicos expulsados, y afectó especialmente al grupo de investigadores que ocupaba posiciones de liderazgo