Consensus and dissent in the resolution of conflicts of competence by the Spanish Constitutional Court: the role of federalism and ideology

Given the lack of unambiguously constitutional foundations, Spain’s Constitutional Court (TC) has being playing a leading role in building the regulatory framework of the Autonomic State. This paper analyses whether this function is sufficient to explain the level of agreement among TC justices when adopting their resolutions, and in particular, on reaching unanimous rulings. If so, the legalist/federalist model would be a more adequate model to explain the behaviour of TC justices than the other models proposed in the literature on judicial behaviour: the attitudinal and the strategic models. A database has been constructed for this purpose with the 390 positive conflicts of competence between the central government and the autonomous communities resolved by the TC from 1981 to 2017, which have been used to estimate various explanatory models of unanimous rulings. The results obtained show the importance of the legalist/federalist model when attempting to explain unanimity in the Court’s pronouncements, but they also offer evidence that there are other factors that also influence the level of agreement among TC justices, remarkably the ideological ones

Sensitivity analysis on turbulence models for the ABL in complex terrain

Análisis de sensibilidad de modelos de turbulencia para un modelo CFD de viento aplicados a un emplazamiento en terreno complejo. Validación con datos de viento y turbulencia registrados a 3 alturas en 3 torres de medida

RANS simulations of wind flow at the Bolund experiment

As part of their development, the predictions of numerical wind flow models must be compared with measurements in order to estimate the uncertainty related to their use. Of course, the most rigorous such comparison is under blind conditions. The following paper includes a detailed description of three different wind flow models, all based on a Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes approach and two-equation k-ε closure, that were tested as part of the Bolund blind comparison (itself based on the Bolund experiment which measured the wind around a small coastal island). The models are evaluated in terms of predicted normalized wind speed and turbulent kinetic energy at 2 m and 5 m above ground level for a westerly wind direction. Results show that all models predict the mean velocity reasonably well; however accurate prediction of the turbulent kinetic energy remains achallenge

Numerical CFD modelling of non-neutral atmospheric boundary layers for offshore wind resource assessment based on Monin-Obukhov theory

The presented works aim at proposing a methodology for the simulation of offshore wind conditions using CFD. The main objective is the development of a numerical model for the characterization of atmospheric boundary layers of different stability levels, as the most important issue in offshore wind resource assessment. Based on Monin-Obukhov theory, the steady k-ε Standard turbulence model is modified to take into account thermal stratification in the surface layer. The validity of Monin-Obukhov theory in offshore conditions is discussed with an analysis of a three day episode at FINO-1 platform

II Jornada Aprendizaje Eficaz con TIC en la UCM

Las Tecnologías de la Información y las Comunicaciones siguen en el núcleo de la innovación docente, estimulando nuevas visiones del proceso educativo y potenciando nuestras aulas. La pandemia nos ha obligado a hacer de una crisis una oportunidad, cambiando para siempre el proceso educativo. Aunque ya no hacemos clases híbridas de forma regular, hemos incorporado estas nuevas herramientas a nuestra práctica diaria. Las líneas temáticas seleccionadas este año fueron: experiencias educativas eficaces en el Campus virtual, las TIC en el aula, materiales digitales, nuevas tendencias educativas, las TIC aplicadas a metodologías didácticas activas e incorporación de los ODS mediante TIC a la educación universitaria. El programa incluía también la presentación de una selección de cinco proyectos de innovación y mejora de la calidad docente por parte del vicerrectorado de Calidad. Para completar el programa, se invitaron dos ponencias. La primera, presentada por David Pacios Izquierdo, explicaba cómo pueden hacerse clases más inclusivas usando herramientas de código abierto que están disponibles en la web de la oficina del software libre. La segunda, presentada por Juan Antonio León Luis, mostraba un caso de éxito del uso de realidad virtual para entrenar a los obstetras en los tipos y maniobras de parto y que se usa en el hospital Gregorio Marañón

Parameterization of the atmospheric boundary layer for offshore wind resource assessment with a limited- length-scale k-ε model

Abstract The structure of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) is modelled with the limitedlength-scale k-ε model of Apsley and Castro. Contrary to the standard k-ε model, the limited-length-scale k-ε model imposes a maximum mixing length which is derived from the boundary layer height, for neutral and unstable atmospheric situations, or by Monin-Obukhov length when the atmosphere is stably stratified. The model is first verified reproducing the famous Leipzig wind profile. Then the performance of the model is tested with measurements from FINO-1 platform using sonic anemometers to derive the appropriate maximum mixing length

In Vivo Detection of Perinatal Brain Metabolite Changes in a Rabbit Model of Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR)

Background Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is a risk factor for abnormal neurodevelopment.We studied a rabbit model of IUGR by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and spectroscopy (MRS), to assess in vivo brain structural and metabolic consequences, and identify potential metabolic biomarkers for clinical translation. Methods IUGR was induced in 3 pregnant rabbits at gestational day 25, by 40-50% uteroplacental vessel ligation in one horn; the contralateral horn was used as control. Fetuses were delivered at day 30 and weighted. A total of 6 controls and 5 IUGR pups underwent T2-w MRI and localized proton MRS within the first 8 hours of life, at 7T. Changes in brain tissue volumes and respective contributions to each MRS voxel were estimated by semi-automated registration of MRI images with a digital atlas of the rabbit brain. MRS data were used for: (i) absolute metabolite quantifications, using linear fitting; (ii) local temperature estimations, based on the water chemical shift; and (iii) classification, using spectral pattern analysis. Results Lower birth weight was associated with (i) smaller brain sizes, (ii) slightly lower brain temperatures, and (iii) differential metabolite profile changes in specific regions of the brain parenchyma. Specifically, we found estimated lower levels of aspartate and N-acetylaspartate (NAA) in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus (suggesting neuronal impairment), and higher glycine levels in the striatum (possible marker of brain injury). Our results also suggest that the metabolic changes in cortical regions are more prevalent than those detected in hippocampus and striatum. Conclusions IUGR was associated with brain metabolic changes in vivo, which correlate well with the neurostructural changes and neurodevelopment problems described in IUGR. Metabolic parameters could constitute non invasive biomarkers for the diagnosis and abnormal neurodevelopment of perinatal origin