Hot spots and the hollowness of proton-proton interactions at high energies

We present a dynamical explanation of the hollowness effect observed in proton-proton scattering at $\sqrt s\!=\!7$ TeV. This phenomenon, not observed at lower energies, consists in a depletion of the inelasticity density at zero impact parameter of the collision. Our analysis is based on three main ingredients: we rely gluonic hot spots inside the proton as effective degrees of freedom for the description of the scattering process. Next we assume that some non-trivial correlation between the transverse positions of the hot spots inside the proton exists. Finally we build the scattering amplitude from a multiple scattering, Glauber-like series of collisions between hot spots. In our approach, the onset of the hollowness effect is naturally explained as due to the diffusion or growth of the hot spots in the transverse plane with increasing collision energy.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Elementary Landscape Decomposition of the Test Suite Minimization Problem

Chicano, F., Ferrer J., & Alba E. (2011). Elementary Landscape Decomposition of the Test Suite Minimization Problem. In Proceedings of Search Based Software Engineering, Szeged, Hungary, September 10-12, 2011. pp. 48–63.Landscape theory provides a formal framework in which combinatorial optimization problems can be theoretically characterized as a sum of a special kind of landscape called elementary landscape. The decomposition of the objective function of a problem into its elementary components provides additional knowledge on the problem that can be exploited to create new search methods for the problem. We analyze the Test Suite Minimization problem in Regression Testing from the point of view of landscape theory. We find the elementary landscape decomposition of the problem and propose a practical application of such decomposition for the search.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech. This research has been partially funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and FEDER under contract TIN2008-06491- C04-01 (the M∗ project) and the Andalusian Government under contract P07- TIC-03044 (DIRICOM project)

Measuring the Quality of Machine Learning and Optimization Frameworks

Software frameworks are daily and extensively used in research, both for fundamental studies and applications. Researchers usually trust in the quality of these frameworks without any evidence that they are correctly build, indeed they could contain some defects that potentially could affect to thousands of already published and future papers. Considering the important role of these frameworks in the current state-of-the-art in research, their quality should be quantified to show the weaknesses and strengths of each software package. In this paper we study the main static quality properties, defined in the product quality model proposed by the ISO 25010 standard, of ten well-known frameworks. We provide a quality rating for each characteristic depending on the severity of the issues detected in the analysis. In addition, we propose an overall quality rating of 12 levels (ranging from A+ to D-) considering the ratings of all characteristics. As a result, we have data evidence to claim that the analysed frameworks are not in a good shape, because the best overall rating is just a C+ for Mahout framework, i.e., all packages need to go for a revision in the analysed features. Focusing on the characteristics individually, maintainability is by far the one which needs the biggest effort to fix the found defects. On the other hand, performance obtains the best average rating, a result which conforms to our expectations because frameworks’ authors used to take care about how fast their software runs.University of Malaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech. We would like to say thank you to all authors of these frameworks that make research easier for all of us. This research has been partially funded by CELTIC C2017/2-2 in collaboration with companies EMERGYA and SECMOTIC with contracts #8.06/5.47.4997 and #8.06/5.47.4996. It has also been funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and /Junta de Andalucı́a/FEDER under contracts TIN2014-57341-R and TIN2017-88213-R, the network of smart cities CI-RTI (TIN2016-81766-REDT

Enabling Low Cost Smart Road Traffic Sensing

Accurate traffic monitoring is a key aspect to develop Smart Mobility services. A road traffic monitoring system based on a network of sensors capturing together information from wireless interfaces of the devices inside the vehicles and also data about noise level is introduced here. This type of sensors obtain accurate road traffic flows and allow noise maps, that can be further analyzed to provide advanced services for mobility and pollution in the roads. Our main goal here is to develop such sensors at low cost with commodity devices, so as to boost their utilization.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

La promoción económica regional :el caso de los incentivos económicos a la inversión y al empleo en Andalucía .Análisis para el periodo 1988-1995

El presente trabajo pretende ofrecer, desde una perspectiva temporal más amplia que la de estudios precedentes, una visión de la evolución seguida por los Incentivos Económicos Regionales en Andalucía. Así, las siguientes páginas tratan de valorar la oportunidad e incidencia de la Ley de Incentivos Regionales en la región andaluza desde un doble prisma: como mecanismo corrector de los consabidos y tradicionales desequilibrios intrarregionales que persisten en la misma, por un lado, y por otro, como instrumento adicional a utilizar por la administración pública andaluza (en la medida de sus competencias) en la política de fomento y promoción económica de la región.This paper offers a panoramic of the evolution of the regional economic incentives in the andalucian region covering a longer period time than precedent studies. The following pages try to asses, consequently, the opportunity and incidence of the regional economic incentives law from a double perspective. On the one hand, as an equilibrating mechanism of the traditional and historically rooted intrarregional desequilibrium of Andalucia. On the other hand, as an additional instrument to be used by the andalucian public administration (as far as competes it) contributing to the economic promotion policy of the region

Zonation of positively buoyant jets interacting with the water-free surface quantified by physical and numerical modelling

ABSTRACT: The evolution of positively buoyant jets was studied with non-intrusive techniques-Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and Laser Induce Fluorescence (LIF)-by analyzing four physical tests in their four characteristic zones: momentum dominant zone (jet-like), momentum to buoyancy transition zone (jet to plume), buoyancy dominant zone (plume-like), and lateral dispersion dominant zone. Four configurations were tested modifying the momentum and the buoyancy of the effluent through variations of flow discharge and the thermal gradient with the receiving water body, respectively. The physical model results were used to evaluate the performance of numerical models to describe such flows. Furthermore, a new method to delimitate the four characteristic zones of positively buoyant jets interacting with the water-free surface was proposed using the angle (?) shaped by the tangent of the centerline trajectory and the longitudinal axis. Physical model results showed that the dispersion of mass (concentrations) was always greater than the dispersion of energy (velocity) during the evolution of positively buoyant jets. The semiempirical models (CORJET and VISJET) underestimated the trajectory and overestimated the dilution of positively buoyant jets close to the impact zone with the water-free surface. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model (Open Field Operation And Manipulation model (OpenFOAM) is able to reproduce the behavior of positively buoyant jets for all the proposed zones according to the physical resultsFunding: The work described in this paper is part of a research project financed by the VI National Plan (2008–2012) for Research in Science and Technological Innovation of the Spanish Government (VERTIZE CTM2012-32538)

BIN-CT: Urban Waste Collection based in Predicting the Container Fill Level

The fast demographic growth, together with the concentration of the population in cities and the increasing amount of daily waste, are factors that push to the limit the ability of waste assimilation by Nature. Therefore, we need technological means to make an optimal management of the waste collection process, which represents 70% of the operational cost in waste treatment. In this article, we present a free intelligent software system, based on computational learning algorithms, which plans the best routes for waste collection supported by past (historical) and future (predictions) data. The objective of the system is the cost reduction of the waste collection service by means of the minimization in distance traveled by any truck to collect a container, hence the fuel consumption. At the same time the quality of service to the citizen is increased avoiding the annoying overflows of containers thanks to the accurate fill level predictions performed by BIN-CT. In this article we show the features of our software system, illustrating it operation with a real case study of a Spanish city. We conclude that the use of BIN-CT avoids unnecessary visits to containers, reduces the distance traveled to collect a container and therefore we obtain a reduction of total costs and harmful emissions thrown to the atmosphere.Comment: 11 pages, double column, 4 figures, 3 table

The Emergence of Native Podcasts in Journalism: Editorial Strategies and Business Opportunities in Latin America

This article analyses the state of the art of podcasting in the new digital landscape as well as the structures, editorial strategies, and business models of native podcasts launched in Latin America over the last few years. To this end, a multiple case study has been made to examine the way new digital outlets are using audio content. This qualitative research is made up of a variety of approaches, such as interviews, online surveys of podcasters, as well as the collection and analysis of secondary data. A specific aim of this comparative study was to include a sample of podcasts produced by thirteen emerging media platforms from eight countries registered in the directory of digital natives conducted by SembraMedia (https://www.sembramedia.org). This is a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing the diversity and quality of Spanish language content by helping digital media entrepreneurs become more sustainable and successful. Results of this exploratory study reveal that native podcasting in Spanish is still expanding and that where the new media are small in scale, they are more oriented to the full exploitation of the narrative and innovative possibilities of this audio format and do not have responding to their target audiences’ needs as their main priority. These new media are finding different ways to become monetised (mainly content production for clients, sponsored content, sponsorship, consulting services, and advertising) and to make a profit

Exploring the Life and Music of Percy Grainger Through Transcription

The purpose of this lecture recital was to demonstrate how Percy Grainger’s life affected his compositional works and arrangements, as well as the stylistic choices made in my transcriptions of his music. This was achieved through a discussion of the different occupations that Percy Grainger had throughout his life, such as a pianist, composer, and ethnomusicologist. In addition, the lecture included an analysis of five pieces by Percy Grainger: Country Gardens, Eastern Intermezzo, Mock Morris, Spoon River, and Handel in the Strand. Transcriptions of these pieces were performed and comparisons were made to Percy Grainger’s original scores

Micro-CT to Document the Coffee Bean Weevil, Araecerus fasciculatus (Coleoptera: Anthribidae), Inside Field-Collected Coffee Berries (Coffea canephora)

The coffee bean weevil, Araecerus fasciculatus (De Geer) (Coleoptera: Anthribidae), is a cosmopolitan insect with >100 hosts, and has been reported as a pest of stored coffee. During a study involving the coffee berry borer, we observed coffee bean weevils emerging from field-collected coffee berries and used micro-computerized tomography (micro-CT) scans to observe the insect inside the berry. Two eggs had eclosed inside the berry, resulting in observations of a newly eclosed adult beetle and a 5th instar larva, each feeding on one of the two seeds. This is the first time since 1775, when the insect was first described, that the insect has been observed inside a coffee berry