Measurement of RbR_b = Γbb‾\Gamma_{b\overline{b}}/Γhad\Gamma_{had} using leptons, event shape and multivariable tags at LEP

The partial decay width of the Z to bb quark pairs has been precisely measured by the LEP collaborations using methods based on lifetime tags. In this paper, alternative measurements using lepton, event shape and multivariate tags are presented and the combined results are compared with the lifetime tagging measurements. The accuracy of lifetime measurements is actually dominated by systematics. Any improvement in precision requires better external knowledge of the charm and light quark physics a ecting Rb . However, analyses combining leptons, event shape and lifetime information have not the same limitations in systematic errors and the statistics of analyzed events is still partial. Therefore including the high global LEP statistics, such alternative analyses are promising and interesting improvements in precision on Rb can be r

Optimization of a laccase-mediator stage for TCF bleaching of flax pulp

7 p.-3 fig.-3 tab.Flax pulp obtained by anthraquinone-soda pulping, resulting in a kappa number of 11.1, a viscosity of 950 ml/g and 36.7% ISO brightness, was bleached in a totally chlorine-free sequence using the enzyme laccase from the fungus Pycnoporus cinnabarinus and 1-hydroxybenzotriazole (HBT) as redox mediator (stage L), followed by a hydrogen peroxide stage (P). The laccase treatment was optimized using a three-variable sequential statistical plan over the following ranges: 1–20 U/g o.d.p. (oven-dried pulp) laccase dose, 0.5–7.5% o.d.p. HBT dose and 1–24 h reaction time. The influence of these variables on several pulp properties after the P stage of the LP sequence was examined.The models defined from the results obtained predicted variations in ISO brightness, viscosity and kappa number of 57.6–74.8%, 590–955 ml/g and 0–6.2, respectively. The variables most strongly influencing these pulp properties were found to be the reaction time and the enzyme dose. A compromise was adopted as regards the operating conditions in order to ensure optimum results. The study was completed by conducting a biobleaching assay in a pressurized reactor (590 kPa) to assess the effect of oxygen pressure. The high pressure level resulted in improved pulp properties by the laccase-mediator system.This work was supported by Spanish CICyT (Project PPQ2000–1068-C02-02, and FEDER Project 2FD97-0896-C02) and Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid, the EU Commission (QLK3-99-590) and the Spanish grant 2002FI 00556.Peer reviewe

Entrepreneurship, communication and ICT in secondary education

Education is essential to developing young people’s skills and culture. It is vital that entrepreneurship education is addressed from the secondary education. Entrepreneurship education is essential not only to shape the mindsets of young people but also to provide the skills that are important to developing an entrepreneurial culture. The entrepreneurship key competence refers to an individual’s ability to turn ideas into action. It includes creativity, innovation, and the ability to plan projects in order to achieve objectives. Besides, communication and ICT are relevant in innovation processes in organizations, especially in schools where people interact daily and it is intended to ensure a good future for the organization. In schools, the existence of good communication and the use of ICT is a relevant factor for the integration of teaching innovative projects related to entrepreneurship. A good communication ensures the dissemination of educational innovation processes adopted by the teachers. It´s relevant to improve teaching practice. Communication and the ICT play a key role in the processes of educational innovation. The incorporation of innovative materials, ICT, courses and communication activities, and the use of the media to extract information, are very important. Communication is essential in the secondary education. If the communication flows were eliminated in the school, we would not have school. Communication is introduced into all activities of the school, representing an important tool with which individuals understand their role in the school and integrates organizational departments. The secondary schools are organized through a model based on the participation and collaboration of its component, coordinating the actions of different people in order to achieve the proposed educational objectives. Therefore, the optimal operation of a secondary school is closely related to communication processes taking place in this organization. This paper studies the entrepreneurship, communication processes and the ICT in secondary education. Media and communication channels used in secondary schools to spread the teaching innovation projects related to the entrepreneurship are studied. Supports or conventional tools and new technologies for communication in educational organizations are also analysed when it is studied and worked the entrepreneurship in the classroom.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Heterogeneous pipelined square-root Kalman Filter algorithm for the MMSE-OSIC problem

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11227-009-0354-x[EN] This paper describes a pipelined parallel algorithm for the MMSE-OSIC decoding procedure proposed in V-BLAST wireless MIMO systems, for heterogeneous networks of processors. It is based on a block version of the square-root Kalman Filter algorithm that was initially devised to solve the RLS problem. It has been parallelized in a pipelined way obtaining a good efficiency and scalability. The optimum load balancing for this parallel algorithm is dynamic, but we derive a static load balancing scheme with good performance. © 2009 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.This work has been supported by the Generalitat Valenciana, project 20080811, by the Universidad Politecnica de Valencia, project 20080009, by the Conserjería de Educacion de la Región de Murcia (Fundacion Séneca, 08763/PI/08), and by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion (TIN2008-06570-C04-02).Martínez Zaldívar, FJ.; Vidal Maciá, AM.; Giménez Cánovas, D. (2011). Heterogeneous pipelined square-root Kalman Filter algorithm for the MMSE-OSIC problem. Journal of Supercomputing. 58(2):235-243. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11227-009-0354-xS235243582Foschini GJ (1996) Layered space-time architecture for wireless communications in a fading environment when using multiple antennas. Bell Labs Techn J 1:41–59Hassibi B (2000) An efficient square-root algorithm for BLAST. In: IEEE international conference on acoustics, speech and signal processing 2000, vol 2, pp II737–II740Zhu H, Lei Z, Chin FPS (2004) An improved square-root algorithm for BLAST. IEEE Signal Process Lett 11(9)Choi Y-S, Voltz PJ, Cassara FA (2001) On channel estimation and detection for multicarrier signals in fast and selective Rayleigh fading channels. IEEE Trans Commun 49(8)Burg A, Haene S, Perels D, Luethi P, Felber N, Fichtner W (2006) Algorithm and VLSI architecture for linear MMSE detection in MIMO-OFDM systems. In: Proceedings of the IEEE int symp on circuits and systems, May 2006Martínez Zaldívar FJ (2007) Algoritmos paralelos segmentados para los problemas de Mínimos Cuadrados Recursivos (RLS) y de Detección por Cancelación Ordenada y Sucesiva de Interferencia (OSIC). PhD thesis, Facultad de Informática, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, SpainSayed AH, Kailath T (1994) A state-space approach to adaptive RLS filtering. IEEE Signal Process Mag 11(3):18–60Kumar V, Gram A, Gupta A, Karypis G (2003) An introduction to parallel computing: design and analysis of algorithms, Chap 4, 2nd edn. Addison-Wesley, Harlow

Neotectonics and shoreline history of the Rock of Gibraltar, southern Iberia

Several sets of staircased Quaternary marine deposits can be observed along the Gibraltar coast ranging from 1 to 210 m above the present mean sea level. Geomorphological mapping establishes, from the relationship between shore, scree and dune sedimentary formations, five main morphotectonic steps on the Rock: marine terraces between 1 and 25 m, 30–60 m, 80–130 m, 180– 210 m, and above. Each terrace level and its slope-aeolian linked sediments is backed by a steep relict sea cliff margin, so forming a composite cliff. The most recent coastal landforms and sediments are associated with the last 250 ka linked to Oxygen Isotope Stages (OIS) 1, 3, 5 and 7. These landforms determine a morphosedimentary highstand-lowstand sequence, with several staircased and offlapped episodes, comprising a major morphotectonic step. A well-developed palaeocliff usually separates the highstand marine terraces of OIS 9 from those of OIS 7. The Gibraltar mean tectonic uplift value of 0.0570.01 mm/yr is maintained from 200 ka to the present. Before this, at least to 250 ka, the mean uplift rate was higher (0.3370.05 mm/yr), possibly compatible with major tectonic events in response to a NNW–SSE compressive stress field between Africa and Iberia.European Union (UE) EU MEDOC Programme: 2002-02-4.1-U-04

Communication abilities in the clinical interview

[Resumen] Las habilidades comunicacionales constituyen una parte importante de la entrevista clínica. Para una mejor comprensión pueden dividirse en los siguientes apartados: contexto, escucha, comprensión, estrategia y resumen general. Se detallan en cada uno de ellos (a excepción del contexto por haber sido bordado en otro artículo) una serie de técnicas o consideraciones de interés que facilitan una mejora en la interacción del profesional de la salud (fisioterapeuta) con el consultante. Esta mejora repercute tanto en una mayor calidad de los resultados como a nivel afectivo y emocional en ambos protagonistas de la relación.[Abstract] The communication skills are an important part of the clinical interview. To get a better comprehension they can be divided into the following steps: context, listening, acknowledgement, strategy and summary. Some techniques or interesting considerations which can improve health care provider (physiotherapist) patient relationship are explained in each one (but the context because it has been considered in another article). This improvement is involved with not only better clinical outcomes, but also affective and emotional level for both relationship's main character