PHOTOGRAMMETRIC SYSTEM FOR MOVEMENT ANALYSIS IN TEAM SPORTS

This work develops a system based on photogrammetric methodologies; such system enables us to analyse the movements of the player in team sports such US soccer, indoor soccer, handball, basketball, etc. It can also be used in individual sports such us tennis with the same aim of quantifying player's movements. This system, called "RUNNER", can quantify player movements, by obtaining several kinematic parameters useful for deducing the physical loads on the players in real conditions. In this work we present some results obtained from soccer and indoor soccer studies

Comment on “New insights in the pattern and timing of the Early Jurassic calcareous nannofossil crisis” by M. E. Clémence et al. [Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology 427 (2015) 100–108]

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this record

Invasive species and habitat degradation in Iberian streams: An analysis of their role in freshwater fish diversity loss

Mediterranean endemic freshwater fish are among the most threatened biota in the world. Distinguishing the role of different extinction drivers and their potential interactions is crucial for achieving conservation goals. While some authors argue that invasive species are a main driver of native species declines, others see their proliferation as a co-occurring process to biodiversity loss driven by habitat degradation. It is difficult to discern between the two potential causes given that few invaded ecosystems are free from habitat degradation, and that both factors may interact in different ways. Here we analyze the relative importance of habitat degradation and invasive species in the decline of native fish assemblages in the Guadiana River basin (southwestern Iberian Peninsula) using an information theoretic approach to evaluate interaction pathways between invasive species and habitat degradation (structural equation modeling, SEM). We also tested the possible changes in the functional relationships between invasive and native species, measured as the per capita effect of invasive species, using ANCOVA. We found that the abundance of invasive species was the best single predictor of natives' decline and had the highest Akaike weight among the set of predictor variables examined. Habitat degradation neither played an active role nor influenced the per capita effect of invasive species on natives. Our analyses indicated that downstream reaches and areas close to reservoirs had the most invaded fish assemblages, independently of their habitat degradation status. The proliferation of invasive species poses a strong threat to the persistence of native assemblages in highly fluctuating environments. Therefore, conservation efforts to reduce native freshwater fish diversity loss in Mediterranean rivers should focus on mitigating the effect of invasive species and preventing future invasions

Un Proyecto docente basado en una auténtica evaluación continua utilizando una herramienta softwar

La reciente creación de la titulación de Grado en Ingeniería Informática propició la adecuación de sus asignaturas al Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior, poniendo especial énfasis en la promoción del aprendizaje continuado a lo largo de la vida. En este trabajo se presenta y analiza un proyecto de innovación y mejora docente aplicado en la asignatura Cálculo Infinitesimal y Numérico, perteneciente al módulo de Formación Básica. Se ha tomado para ello un grupo piloto dentro de la titulación. La principal característica del proyecto reside en el diseño de dinámicas docentes diferenciadas entre clases teóricas, prácticas de aula y prácticas de laboratorio y al mismo tiempo integradoras de un proceso continuado de aprendizaje y de aplicación práctica de lo aprendido, garantizando que sea compatible con una auténtica evaluación continua de todo el proceso. La viabilidad del proyecto dependía en gran medida de la carga de trabajo que ello suponía para el profesorado implicado. Para ello, se diseñó una herramienta software que permite la generación y asignación de actividades personalizadas para el alumnado así como una evaluación semi-automática de las mismas. Un primer análisis de los resultados obtenidos muestra una mejora significativa respecto de otros proyectos basados en planteamientos más clásicos.SUMMARY -- The recent creation of the Degree in Computer Engineering led the adaptation of their subjects to the European Higher Education Area, stressing on lifelong learning throughout life. This paper presents and analyzes a proposed educational plan of innovation. It has been applied to the subject Cálculo Infinitesimal y Numérico (Differential Calculus and Numerical Analysis) as part of basic training modules. It has been tested in a pilot group within the degree. The main feature of the project lies in the design of teaching dynamics. It has been scheduled in theoretical classes, classroom practices and laboratory practices. These modules achieve continuous process of learning and practical application of learning, ensuring an authentic continuous assessment throughout the process. The viability of the project depended heavily on the workload for the involved teachers. For this, we designed a software tool that allows the generation and assignment of custom activities for students and semi-automatic evaluation of them. A first analysis of the results shows a significant improvement over previous results with other projects based on classic approaches.Peer Reviewe

The origin of carbon isotope vital effects in coccolith calcite

Calcite microfossils are widely used to study climate and oceanography in Earth’s geological past. Coccoliths, readily preserved calcite plates produced by a group of single-celled surface-ocean dwelling algae called coccolithophores, have formed a significant fraction of marine sediments since the Late Triassic. However, unlike the shells of foraminifera, their zooplankton counterparts, coccoliths remain underused in palaeo-reconstructions. Precipitated in an intracellular chemical and isotopic microenvironment, coccolith calcite exhibits large and enigmatic departures from the isotopic composition of abiogenic calcite, known as vital effects. Here we show that the calcification to carbon fixation ratio determines whether coccolith calcite is isotopically heavier or lighter than abiogenic calcite, and that the size of the deviation is determined by the degree of carbon utilization. We discuss the theoretical potential for, and current limitations of, coccolith-based CO2 paleobarometry, that may eventually facilitate use of the ubiquitous and geologically extensive sedimentary archive

Análisis de la inclinación del esquiador hacia el interior del viraje de slalom en esquí alpino

Este artículo trata sobre la aplicación de la Biomecánica Deportiva como perspectiva científica al análisis cinemático del esquí alpino como objeto de estudio, y ha sido realizada basándose en una situación real de competición. Para ello hemos utilizado el método indirecto y las técnicas fotogramétricas tridimensionales, basadas en la filmación del gesto deportivo mediante tecnología de vídeo. Estudios precedentes (Gómez-López y col., 2002; Gómez-López y col., 2002 Bis; Gómez-López y col., 2003) ratifican la importancia de la inclinación de esquiador hacia el interior de la curva como consecuencia de la velocidad media alcanzada. Este estudio describe esta inclinación, en una situación real de competición en una muestra de los mejores esquiadores que participaron en el Campeonato del Mundo de Esquí Alpino de Sierra Nevada (España) en 1996, en la disciplina del slalom, explicando cómo se produce. Los resultados obtenidos muestran un comportamiento similar en cuanto a las inclinaciones medias de la pierna externa e interna al viraje, existiendo diferencias entre esquiadores que son mayores en la pierna interna en el momento previo y posterior al paso del palo de viraje. Este estudio nos revela la importancia que tiene el entrenar en situaciones lo más parecidas posibles a las de la competición con respecto a la preparación técnico-táctica de nuestros deportistas así como en su preparación física en aspectos relacionados tanto en capacidades condicionales como coordinativas

A novel network-based analysis to measure efficiency in science and technology parks: the ISA framework approach

In the last years, Science and Technology Parks (STPs) have been considered facilitators of inter-organizational relationships, as well as instruments of public policy, by creating networks and allowing access for the learning of local innovation.In this study, we propose a quantitative tool as support for measuring the efficiency of STPs through the analysis of the complex networks they form. We present a generic framework called the Inter-Relationship Science-Park Analysis (ISA) framework to study STPs at three different levels of management: (1) individual entities (research centres, universities, innovation companies, etc.); (2) STP global management; and (3) productive sector development. Moreover, we have applied the ISA framework to a real-world case study: the Walqa Science and Technology Park. Through it we have been able to know what relationships are established within this Science and Technology Park and which are the most important nodes in this network of interactions

Multivariate data envelopment analysis to measure airline efficiency in european airspace: a network-based approach

In this paper, data envelopment analysis (DEA) is applied to exhaustively examine the efficiency of the main airline companies in the European airspace by using novel input/output parameters: business management factors, network analysis metrics, as well as social media estimators. Furthermore, we also use network analysis to provide a better differentiation among efficiency values. Results indicate that user engagement, as well as the analysis of the position within the airspace-from an operative perspective, influence the efficiency of the airline companies, allowing a more comprehensive understanding of its functioning