Influence of online transparency on efficiency. Analysis of spanish NGDOs

This study examines (a) whether nongovernmental development organizations (NGDOs) disseminate relevant information for their stakeholders through their web pages, information that after being reviewed and evaluated by external organizations such as the Spanish Coordinator of Development NGO or Lealtad Foundation, allowed these NGDOs to obtain a seal of transparency and (b) whether their level of transparency influences efficiency. To determine online transparency, web pages of seal-approved NGDOs were reviewed to assess the availability of relevant information. This paper uses data envelopment analysis to assess the efficiency using an input orientation. To determine the influence of online transparency on efficiency, an ordinary least squares regression was used. Results show that while increased transparency has a significant effect on efficiency, the level of information disclosure of NGDOs through their web pages has considerable room for improvement. Improved transparency leads to best practices and increased competition in obtaining financing and support from society. To improve transparency in the nonprofit sector, external organizations have created a series of seals to certify that an organization complies with the basic principles of transparency. In addition, new technologies make it easier for organizations to disseminate information quickly and economically. This article contributes to the literature regarding web use of NGDOs to disclose relevant information and analyzing the influence of online transparency on organizational efficiency

Learning process: Multi-Agent Tutoring System

A multi-agent architecture has been developed for tutorial assignation scheduling. It has two main types of agents: the students and the teachers. These two are coordinated by an algorithm which assigns the classes in order of arrival. The architecture will provide the necessary tools to the students, so they get the maximum profit from the tutorials. Students and Lecturers can coordinate their tutorial meeting in an efficient way with the help of the multi-agent system

Optimisation of the predictive ability of NIR models to estimate nutritional parameters in elephant grass through LOCAL algorithms

Elephant grass is a tropical forage widely used for livestock feed. The analytical techniques traditionally used for its nutritional evaluation are costly and time consuming. Alternatively, Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) technology has been used as a rapid analysis technique. However, in crops with high variability due to genetic improvement, predictive models quickly lose accuracy and must be recalibrated. The use of non-linear models such as LOCAL calibrations could mitigate these issues, although a number of parameters need to be optimized to obtain accurate results. The objective of this work was to compare the predictive results obtained with global NIRS calibrations and with LOCAL calibrations, paying special attention to the configuration parameters of the models. The results obtained showed that the prediction errors with the LOCAL models were between 1.6 and 17.5 % lower. The best results were obtained in most cases with a low number of selected samples (n = 100–250) and a high number of PLS terms (n = 20). This configuration allows a reduced computation time with high accuracy, becoming a valuable alternative for analytical determinations that require ruminal fluid, which would improve the welfare of the animals by avoiding the need to surgically prepare animals to estimate the nutritional value of the feeds

Social capital, knowledge integration and learning in project-based organizations: a CEO-based study

Producción CientíficaPurpose – This paper aims to examine how the different dimensions of project members’ intraorganizational social capital – cognitive, affective and relational – facilitate knowledge integration in project-based organizations, and how knowledge integration, in turn, impacts explorative and exploitative learning. Design/methodology/approach – Based on an analysis of 129 R&D Spanish organizations, the study analyzes the interconnections between the different dimensions of social capital and how they affect to knowledge integration as antecedent of explorative and exploitative learning in project-based organizations. Findings – Results confirm that knowledge integration is beneficial for both exploratory and exploitive learning and thus that R&D organizations may be thus ambidextrous in their knowledge management. Related to the three dimensions of social capital, only the cognitive dimension (shared vision) has a significant impact on knowledge integration. However, the analysis confirms the interconnections between the three dimensions of social capital: the relational dimension (social interaction ties) and the cognitive dimension (shared vision) have significant effect on the relational one (trust), and the relational dimension also has an influence on the cognitive dimension. The model proposed in this study thus shows an acceptable capacity to discern the different influence of the dimensions of internal social capital on knowledge integration and, subsequently, ambidextrous learning. Originality/value – This paper examines the importance of intra-organizational social capital, in terms of their cognitive (shared vision), relational (trust) and structural (social interaction ties) dimensions, for explorative and exploitative learning in project-based organizations. The analysis takes the baton of previous literature where is suggested that the three dimensions of social capital are interlocked and not just need to be considered simultaneouslyMinisterio de Economía y Competitividad (Plan Nacional de I + D + i) de España (ECO2016-78128-P

A method for approximating optimal statistical significances with machine-learned likelihoods

Machine-learning techniques have become fundamental in high-energy physics and, for new physics searches, it is crucial to know their performance in terms of experimental sensitivity, understood as the statistical significance of the signal-plus-background hypothesis over the background-only one. We present here a simple method that combines the power of current machine-learning techniques to face high-dimensional data with the likelihood-based inference tests used in traditional analyses, which allows us to estimate the sensitivity for both discovery and exclusion limits through a single parameter of interest, the signal strength. Based on supervised learning techniques, it can perform well also with high-dimensional data, when traditional techniques cannot. We apply the method to a toy model first, so we can explore its potential, and then to a LHC study of new physics particles in dijet final states. Considering as the optimal statistical significance the one we would obtain if the true generative functions were known, we show that our method provides a better approximation than the usual naive counting experimental result

Life cycle assessment in roads: future trends and challenges

Las carreteras y los elementos que las integran provocan un alto impacto ambiental caracterizado por el uso de materiales, el consumo energético, la emisión de gases de efecto invernadero y la modificación del ecosistema. Los retos europeos Horizonte 2030 implicarán cambios obligatorios en la gestión ambiental de este tipo de infraestructuras durante todo su ciclo de vida. Actualmente, y con el objetivo de establecer mejoras en términos de sostenibilidad, las herramientas como Análisis de Ciclo de Vida (ACV) son útiles para evaluar, priorizar actuaciones y certificar el desempeño ambiental de cualquier sistema, proceso o producto. Pero uno de los principales problemas para su aplicación en el diseño y construcción de estas infraestructuras es la recopilación de datos para la elaboración correcta del Inventario de Ciclo de Vida (requerimiento obligatorio del análisis según la normativa ISO 14040). La complejidad ligada al inventario, ha provocado una baja utilización del método en este sector. Este trabajo analiza la idoneidad y compatibilidad de las herramientas, metodologías y bases de datos disponibles, estableciendo las necesidades futuras de adaptación del ACV y otras herramientas de análisis y certificación ambiental al ciclo de vida de carreteras.Las carreteras y los elementos que las integran provocan un alto impacto ambiental caracterizado por el uso de materiales, el consumo energético, la emisión de gases de efecto invernadero y la modificación del ecosistema. Los retos europeos Horizonte 2030 implicarán cambios obligatorios en la gestión ambiental de este tipo de infraestructuras durante todo su ciclo de vida. Actualmente, y con el objetivo de establecer mejoras en términos de sostenibilidad, las herramientas como Análisis de Ciclo de Vida (ACV) son útiles para evaluar, priorizar actuaciones y certificar el desempeño ambiental de cualquier sistema, proceso o producto. Pero uno de los principales problemas para su aplicación en el diseño y construcción de estas infraestructuras es la recopilación de datos para la elaboración correcta del Inventario de Ciclo de Vida (requerimiento obligatorio del análisis según la normativa ISO 14040). La complejidad ligada al inventario, ha provocado una baja utilización del método en este sector. Este trabajo analiza la idoneidad y compatibilidad de las herramientas, metodologías y bases de datos disponibles, estableciendo las necesidades futuras de adaptación del ACV y otras herramientas de análisis y certificación ambiental al ciclo de vida de carreteras

Electrical Machines Laminations Magnetic Properties: A Virtual Instrument Laboratory

"© 2015 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.” Upon publication, authors are asked to include either a link to the abstract of the published article in IEEE Xplore®, or the article’s Digital Object Identifier (DOI).Undergraduate courses in electrical machines often include an introduction to their magnetic circuits and to the various magnetic materials used in their construction and their properties. The students must learn to be able to recognize and compare the permeability, saturation, and losses of these magnetic materials, relate each material to its specific properties, and understand the impact of these properties on the major performance metrics of electrical machines. This paper describes a new test equipment setup and lab guide that helps students achieve these learning goals. The test equipment consists of two transformers of grain-oriented and non-grain-oriented electrical steel, transducers, a data acquisition (DAQ) board and a PC-based virtual instrument. The virtual instrument shows voltage, current, and core flux time waveforms, the rms voltage versus current curves and, most importantly, the lamination material magnetic cycle. Students' laboratory work was organized into a series of experiments that guide their achievement of these magnetic materials-related abilities. Pre- and post-lab exams assessed student learning, which was shown to have increased significantly. Students' opinions of the relevance, usefulness, and motivational effect of the laboratory were also positiveMartínez-Román, J.; Pérez Cruz, J.; Pineda Sánchez, M.; Puche Panadero, R.; Roger Folch, J.; Riera Guasp, MV.; Sapena Bañó, Á. (2015). Electrical Machines Laminations Magnetic Properties: A Virtual Instrument Laboratory. IEEE Transactions on Education. 58(1):159-166. doi:10.1109/TE.2014.2348536S15916658

Genetic and functional analysis of biogenic amine production capacity among starter and non-starter lactic acid bacteria isolated from artisanal cheeses

© 2015, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. This work reports the capacity of 137 strains of starter and non-starter LAB belonging to nine species of the genera Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Streptococcus and Leuconostoc (all isolated from artisanal cheeses) to produce histamine, tyramine, putrescine and β-phenylethylamine, the biogenic amines (BA) most commonly found in dairy products. Production assays were performed in liquid media supplemented with the appropriate precursor amino acid; culture supernatants were then tested for BA by (U)HPLC. In addition, the presence of key genes involved in the biosynthetic pathways of the target BA, including the production of putrescine via the agmatine deiminase pathway, was assessed by PCR. Twenty strains were shown to have genes involved in the synthesis of BA; these belonged to the species Lactobacillus brevis (4), Lactobacillus curvatus (3), Lactococcus lactis (11) and Streptococcus thermophilus (2). With the exception of the two S. thermophilus strains, all those possessing genes involved in BA production synthesized the corresponding compound. Remarkably, all the putrescine-producing strains used the agmatine deiminase pathway. Four L. brevis and two L. curvatus strains were found able to produce both tyramine and putrescine. There is increasing interest in the use of autochthonous LAB strains in starter and adjunct cultures for producing dairy products with ‘particular geographic indication’ status. Such strains should not produce BA; the present results show that BA production capacity should be checked by (U)HPLC and PCR.This work was funded by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Spain (AGL2013-45431-R), the Fundación para el Fomento en Asturias de la Investigación Científica Aplicada y la Tecnología (FICYT), cofunded by FEDER (GRUPIN14-137) and the INIA (RM2011-00005-00-00).Peer Reviewe

La escala de valoración: un instrumento de evaluación para el desarrollo de las competencias transversales de los futuros docentes y sus futuros alumnos

Congreso Internacional Euro-Iberoamericano sobre la Formación del Profesorado de Educación Secundaria (1. 2013. Madrid)[ES] La «Declaración de la Sorbona» (1998) dio comienzo a la andadura definitiva del Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior (EEES), incorporando el concepto de competencia al sistema educativo universitario. En España, el sistema regula un objetivo de carácter eminentemente formativo, orientado a “propiciar la consecución por los estudiantes de una formación universitaria que aúne conocimientos generales básicos y conocimientos transversales relacionados con su formación integral, junto con los conocimientos y capacidades específicos orientados a su incorporación al ámbito laboral” (Real Decreto 55/2005, p.2842). El concepto de “competencia”, tanto transversal como específica, es considerado por diferentes autores como clave para el desarrollo profesional (Hernanz & Rosselló, 2003; Perrenoud, 2004; Rué & Martínez, 2005; Salganik, Rychen, Moser& Konstant, 1999). Respecto a los aspectos transversales, es difícil cuestionar la necesidad e idoneidad de aprender a trabajar en grupo y desarrollar procesos de autoevaluación y coevaluación en relación al aprendizaje autónomo (Delgado, 2005). La evaluación formativa es considerada como una actividad organizada de forma sistemática y continua con la intención de proporcionar la información necesaria para la mejora del proceso educativo (Boud & Falchikoz, 2007; Harald & Mulder, 2012; López- Pastor, 2009). Por tanto, la evaluación formativa se entiende como un continuo que permite una mayor implicación del alumnado en las tareas que realice y un mayor criterio a la hora de evaluarse tanto a sí mismo como a los demás (Hammersley & Orsmond, 2007; Sanmartí, 2007). Este planteamiento revierte varios de los problemas de los modelos tradicionales en los que, prácticamente y de forma exclusiva, la calificación se reducía a pruebas y/o exámenes finales (López-Pastor & Palacios, 2012)

La participación del alumnado en la evaluación: la importancia de usar los instrumentos adecuados: un ejemplo de escalas graduadas en trabajos colaborativos en la formación inicial del profesorado de educación física

[ES] La participación del alumnado en la evaluación tiene muchas ventajas educativas que han sido investigadas y demostradas en los últimos 30 años. Pero para llevar a cabo estos procesos es conveniente contar con los instrumentos adecuados y conocer los procedimientos y protocolos que es mejor aplicar en cada situación y contexto, para conseguir que el proceso funcione correctamente y logre el mayor éxito posible. En esta comunicación se presenta una experiencia de participación del alumnado en los procesos de evaluación desde una perspectiva cooperativa a través del diálogo y la toma de decisiones, con la intención de generar una interacción positiva, responsabilidad individual, interacción promotora y autoevaluación. Para ello se ha utilizado como instrumento una escala graduada. La experiencia ha sido llevada a cabo por cuatro profesores en tres centros diferentes de formación inicial del profesorado. Los resultados muestran que este tipo de procesos e instrumentos son muy útiles para que el alumnado tenga una mejor orientación a la hora de realizar su evaluación, mejorar la calidad de sus trabajos y ampliar su aprendizaje. Como efecto de todo ello, también suelen influir positivamente en la mejora del rendimiento académico