La formación del profesorado de educación especial

Partiendo de la aceptación sin reservas del principio de normalización para todo deficiente mental (cuya concreción máxima a nivel pedagógico es la integración escolar en los circuitos de la educación ordinaria), y después de realizar un análisis de la situación en que se encuentra la formación del profesor de Educación Especial en los Países de la CE.E., se ofrece una alternativa para nuestro país. En dicha alternativa se contempla una formación básica curricular en Educación Especial para todo el profesorado de E.G.B. y otra formación especializada con dos opciones (minusválidos psíquicos y físicosensoriales) para todos aquellos profesores de E.G.B. que deseen dedicarse a trabajar en la Educación Especial

Modeling River Runoff Temporal Behavior through a Hybrid Causal-Hydrological (HCH) Method

The uncertainty in traditional hydrological modeling is a challenge that has not yet been overcome. This research aimed to provide a new method called the hybrid causal-hydrological (HCH) method, which consists of the combination of traditional rainfall-runoff models with novel hydrological approaches based on artificial intelligence, called Bayesian causal modeling (BCM). This was implemented by building nine causal models for three sub-basins of the Barbate River Basin (SW Spain). The models were populated by gauging (observing) short runoff series and from long and short hydrological runoff series obtained from the Temez rainfall-runoff model (T-RRM). To enrich the data, all series were synthetically replicated using an ARMA model. Regarding the results, on the one hand differences in the dependence intensities between the long and short series were displayed in the dependence mitigation graphs (DMGs), which were attributable to the insufficient amount of data available from the hydrological records and to climate change processes. The similarities in the temporal dependence propagation (basin memory) and in the symmetry of DMGs validate the reliability of the hybrid methodology, as well as the results generated in this study. Consequently, water planning and management can be substantially improved with this approach

Development of a control-oriented model to optimise fuel consumption and NOX emissions in a DI Diesel engine

This paper describes a predictive NOX and consumption model, which is oriented to control and optimisation of DI Diesel engines. The model applies the Response Surface Methodology following a two-step process: firstly, the relationship between engine inputs (intake charge conditions and injection settings) and some combustion parameters (peak pressure, indicated mean effective pressure and burn angles) is determined; secondly, engine outputs (NOX and consumption) are predicted from the combustion parameters using NOX and mechanical losses models. Splitting the model into two parts allows using either experimental or modelled combustion parameters, thus enhancing the model flexibility. If experimental in-cylinder pressure is used to obtain combustion parameters, the mean error of predicted NOX and consumption are 2% and 6% respectively, with a calculation time of 5.5 ms. Using modelled parameters reduces the calculation time to 1.5 ms, with a penalty in the accuracy. The model performs well in a multi-objective optimisation, reducing NOX and consumption in different amounts depending on the objective of the optimisation.The support of the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (PAID-06-09) and Generalitat Valenciana (GV/2010/045) is greatly acknowledged.Molina, S.; Guardiola, C.; Martín Díaz, J.; Garcia Sarmiento, D. (2014). Development of a control-oriented model to optimise fuel consumption and NOX emissions in a DI Diesel engine. Applied Energy. 119:405-416. doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2014.01.021S40541611

Miller cycle for improved efficiency, load range and emissions in a heavy-duty engine running under reactivity controlled compression ignition combustion

[EN] The low temperature, premixed combustion strategies are being investigated in the recent years as a mean to break the NOx-soot trade-off appearing during the diffusive conventional diesel combustion. This approach relies on promoting premixed combustion events with shortened duration, which reduces the heat transfer losses, improves the thermal efficiency, and allows a simultaneous reduction of engine-out NOx and soot emissions. However, since the combustion onset only depends on chemical kinetics, most of these strategies cannot be implemented at medium and high loads due to excessive pressure gradients, which lead to unacceptable noise levels and reliability issues. This experimental work investigates the potential of the Miller cycle as a strategy to minimize the aforementioned challenges when operating under reactivity controlled compression ignition combustion. Moreover, the coupled effect of the Miller cycle with the fuel reactivity modulation is also explored as a way for improving the combustion control. For this purpose, parametric studies varying the effective compression ratio and gasoline fraction have been done in a single-cylinder heavy-duty engine operating at 14 bar indicated mean effective pressure and 1200 rev/min as a baseline condition. The results show that this strategy allows better control of the in-cylinder thermodynamic conditions, enabling a simultaneous reduction of nitrogen oxides and soot emissions down to the EURO VI limits, while keeping a reduced fuel consumption and suitable in-cylinder maximum pressure gradients.The authors thanks VOLVO Group Trucks Technology for supporting this research. The authors also acknowledge the Spanish economy and competitiveness ministry for partially supporting this research (HiReCo TRA2014-58870-R). Daniel Estepa is partially supported through contract FPI-S2-2015-1091 of Programa de Apoyo para la Investigacion y Desarrollo (PAID) of Universitat Politecnica de Valencia.Molina, S.; García Martínez, A.; Monsalve-Serrano, J.; Estepa-Ruiz, D. (2018). Miller cycle for improved efficiency, load range and emissions in a heavy-duty engine running under reactivity controlled compression ignition combustion. Applied Thermal Engineering. 136:161-168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2018.02.106S16116813

Study on LTC for light duty engines Part 2 Spray enhancements

[EN] This paper presents the 2nd part of a study on low temperature diffusive combustion in a small HSDI (High Speed Direct Injection) engine with the objective of avoiding simultaneously NOX and soot formation, aiming to extend the range of operation conditions where this combustion strategy has been achieved and. Also, it was intended to reduce CO and HC emissions, considered very high in the 1st part of the tests. New hardware configuration was chosen in order to improve air entrainment in the lift-off length such as increasing injection pressure, reducing fuel injection rate and nozzle hole diameter. Also, a parametric study on the behavior of in-cylinder air thermodynamic characteristics towards the diffusionflame low temperature combustion was also carried out in order to evaluate the important aspects of each one and observe how the LTC range has been extended. The strategy is based mainly in a significant reduction of the equivalence ratio at the lift-off length cross section and the combustion temperature, maintaining the conventional mixing controlled diesel jet structure. In this 2nd part of the study, injection pressure was increased and new nozzles with reduced holes were used to enhance air entrainment and the injection rate was reduced to extend the duration of diffusion-flame combustion phase. The new proposal allowed extending Diffusion-flame LTC range, being possible to achieve this combustion modality with higher air temperature which lead to considerable reduction in HC, CO and combustion noise while NOx and Soot remained insignificant.Jorge Amorim, R.; Novella Rosa, R.; García Martínez, A.; Molina, S. (2017). Study on LTC for light duty engines Part 2 Spray enhancements. Fuel. 193:206-219. doi:10.1016/j.fuel.2016.12.050S20621919

Calculated energy loss of swift He, Li, B, and N ions in SiO2, Al2O3, and ZrO2

We have calculated the electronic stopping power and the energy-loss straggling parameter of swift He, Li, B, and N ions moving through several oxides, namely SiO2, Al2O3, and ZrO2. The evaluation of these stopping magnitudes was done in the framework of the dielectric formalism. The target properties are described by means of a combination of Mermin-type energy-loss functions that characterize the response of valence-band electrons, together with generalized oscillator strengths to take into account the ionization of inner-shell electrons. We have considered the different charge states that the projectile can have, as a result of electron capture and loss processes, during its motion through the target. The electron density for each charge state was described using the Brandt-Kitagawa statistical model and, for He and Li ions, also hydrogenic orbitals. This procedure provides a realistic representation of both the excitation properties of the target electrons and the projectile charge density, yielding stopping powers that compare reasonably well with available experimental data above a few tens of keV/amu.This work was supported by the Spanish Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología (BFM2003-04457-C02-01 and BFM2003-04457-C02-02). S.H.A. thanks the Fundación Cajamurcia for financial support and J.M.F.V. expresses his gratitute for a travel grant from the Universitat d’Alacant

RunScribe Sacral Gait Lab™ Validation for Measuring Pelvic Kinematics during Human Locomotion at Different Speeds

Optoelectronic motion capture systems are considered the gold standard for measuring walking and running kinematics parameters. However, these systems prerequisites are not feasible for practitioners as they entail a laboratory environment and time to process and calculate the data. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the validity of the three-sensor RunScribe Sacral Gait Lab™ inertial measurement unit (IMU) in measuring pelvic kinematics in terms of vertical oscillation, tilt, obliquity, rotational range of motion, and the maximum angular rates during walking and running on a treadmill. Pelvic kinematic parameters were measured simultaneously using an eight-camera motion analysis system (Qualisys Medical AB, GÖTEBORG, Sweden) and the three-sensor RunScribe Sacral Gait Lab™ (Scribe Lab. Inc. San Francisco, CA, USA) in a sample of 16 healthy young adults. An acceptable level of agreement was considered if the following criteria were met: low bias and SEE ( 0.90), and good reliability (ICC > 0.81). The results obtained reveal that the three-sensor RunScribe Sacral Gait Lab™ IMU did not reach the validity criteria established for any of the variables and velocities tested. The results obtained therefore show significant differences between the systems for the pelvic kinematic parameters measured during both walking and runningThe State Research Agency (SRA)The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) with the project EDUSPORT (REF: PID2020-115600RB-C21

Simulation of swift boron clusters traversing amorphous carbon foils

We use a simulation code to study the interaction of swift boron clusters (Bn+, n=2–6, 14) with amorphous carbon foils. We analyze different aspects of this interaction, such as the evolution of the cluster structure inside the target, the energy and angle distributions at the detector or the stopping power ratio. Our simulation code follows in detail the motion of the cluster fragments through the target and in the vacuum until reaching a detector, taking into account the following interactions: (i) wake force, (ii) Coulomb repulsion among cluster fragments, (iii) stopping force, and (iv) elastic scattering with the target nuclei. Electron capture and loss by each fragment is also included in the code, affecting the above-mentioned interactions. The clusters size grows inside the foil due mainly to the Coulomb explosion but this increase is less pronounced in the plane transversal to the beam direction because of the alignment effect of the wake forces. We obtain an enhancement of the stopping power ratio that increases with the projectile energy and with the number of molecular constituents. Our results agree very well with the available experimental data for the thicker foils (≳10 μg∕cm2) and are compatible (within the experimental error bars) for the thinner foils.This work has been financially supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (Contract Nos. BFM2003-04457-C02-01 and BFM2003-04457-C02-02). S.H.A. thanks the Fundación CajaMurcia for financial support and C.D.D. thanks the Spanish Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia for support under the Ramón y Cajal Program

Precipitation Variability and Drought Assessment Using the SPI: Application to Long-Term Series in the Strait of Gibraltar Area

The standardized precipitation index (SPI) provides reliable estimations about the intensity, magnitude and spatial extent of droughts in a variety of time scales based on long-term precipitation series. In this work, we assess the evolution of monthly precipitation in the Barbate River basin (S. Iberian Peninsula) between 1910/11 and 2017/18 through the generation of a representative precipitation series for the 108-year period and the subsequent application of the SPI. This extensive series was obtained after processing all the precipitation data (67 stations) available within and nearby the basin and subsequent complex gap-filling stages. The SPI identified 26 periods of drought, 12 of them severe and 6 extreme, with return periods of 9 and 18 years, respectively. Complementary analysis evidenced changes in precipitation cyclicity, with periodicities of 5 and 7-8 years during the first and second half of the study period, respectively. Additionally, the amplitude of pluviometric oscillations increased during the second half of the period, and extreme events were more frequent. While the decade 1940-1950 was very dry, with precipitation 11% below the basin's average, 1960-1970 was very humid, with precipitation 23% above average. Contrary to the results of climate change projections specific to this area, a clear downward trend in precipitation is not detected

A Hardware/Software Platform to Acquire Bioelectrical Signals. A Case Study: Characterizing Computer Access through Attention

This paper describes a hardware/software platform to acquire human body signals. In the field of physiological computing it is desirable to have a system that allows the synchronized acquisition of signals coming from different sources. Here is described how to unify the whole process of acquiring signals from both customized hardware and low cost commercial devices such as Neurosky’s mindwave. A case study using this platform is also shown: studying the feasibility of using sustained attention to access a computer. In order to do that brain activity was measured using Neurosky’s mindwave. The participants in this study were asked to keep their attention high/low for as long as possible during several trials. Experimentation was performed by 7 normally developed subjects and 3 people with cerebral palsy (CP). Our preliminary work shows that 60% of participants might be potential users of this technology. Eventually, modulating the attention to access a communication board needs a scanning period greater than 5.76s