Traditional irrigation systems of the river Algar-Guadalest (La Marina Baixa, Alicante): Mediterranean hydraulic cultural heritage

Durante siglos se ha ido configurando un contrastado patrimonio relacionado con los diversos sistemas de regadíos distribuidos por el río Algar y su afluente el Guadalest. Como en otras cuencas hidrográficas mediterráneas de dimensiones ajustadas, el medio físico y el proceso histórico han condicionado las arquitecturas hidráulicas de los regadíos tradicionales, su naturaleza, composición y morfología, los elementos que los constituyen, así como las etapas de su construcción a lo largo de siglos. Un rasgo común de los sistemas de regadío de este territorio es su diversidad, desde los riegos fluviales a los procedentes de captaciones subterráneas. El análisis realizado mediante la consulta de la documentación disponible y una minuciosa labor de estudio ha sido la base del presente artículo.For centuries a proven heritage has been configured related to the various systems of irrigation distributed by the Algar River and its tributary the Guadalest. As in other Mediterranean basins of fitting dimensions, the physical environment and the historical process have conditioned the hydraulic architecture of the traditional irrigation systems, its nature, composition and morphology, the elements that constitute them, as well as the stages of its construction over centuries. A feature common in irrigation systems of this territory is their diversity, from the river irrigation to groundwater catchments. The analysis carried out by the consultation of the documentation and a thorough work of study have been the basis of this article.Este artículo procede del proyecto de investigación financiado por la Dirección General de Patrimonio Cultural Valenciano, en el programa de estudio de los regadíos históricos valencianos (2010). Estepa. Estudios del Territorio, Paisaje y Patrimonio. Jorge Hermosilla Pla (director)

El patrimonio rural como factor de desarrollo endógeno

El patrimonio rural, ligado a lo cotidiano y funcional, es algo más que un legado de épocas pasadas. Testimonio del quehacer diario, del modo de vida de una sociedad rural estrechamente vinculada con el territorio sobre el que se asienta, constituye para aquélla un referente identitario. Pero además, el patrimonio del medio rural, lejos de constituir vestigios estériles de tiempos pasados, se convierte en un activo inmejorable para la construcción de nuevos escenarios, y en un recurso para el desarrollo local. El trabajo que a continuación se presenta tiene como objetivo la exposición de unos conocimientos y experiencias, adquiridas por los autores como resultado de sus líneas de investigación sobre el patrimonio del medio rural y el desarrollo local, así como presentar el uso estratégico de los bienes patrimoniales como factor de desarrollo. (A

Evaluation of Landscape Quality in Valencia's Agricultural Gardens : a Method Adapted to Multifunctional, Territorialized Agrifood Systems (MTAS)

Multifunctional agrifood systems with noteworthy roots in a territory are the result of a historical yet dynamic specialization. They are present in the place's knowledge, social connections, collective action, the organization of institutions, innovation and capital. These systems are seen in the landscape, which becomes a resource as well as cultural and environmental heritage. In this regard, it is necessary to study the significance of the many aspects of heritage and landscape in agrifood systems to suitably manage and appreciate them as a territorial resource. This study develops and applies a quantitative method with various criteria to enable the landscape values of multifunctional, territorialized agrifood systems (MTAS in Spanish) to be evaluated, paying attention to essential matters such as the process of heritage recognition and the quality of their landscapes. To do so, a method designed by the authors for evaluating landscapes has been adapted to the peculiarities that define such systems, made up of criteria such as representativeness, authenticity, ecological integrity, vulnerability, accessibility and historical, social and symbolic values. The method has been applied to an exemplary Mediterranean landscape, the agricultural gardens of Valencia, which combine features of MTAS in metropolitan and coastal flatland contexts

Physics-based visual characterization of molecular interaction forces

Molecular simulations are used in many areas of biotechnology, such as drug design and enzyme engineering. Despite the development of automatic computational protocols, analysis of molecular interactions is still a major aspect where human comprehension and intuition are key to accelerate, analyze, and propose modifications to the molecule of interest. Most visualization algorithms help the users by providing an accurate depiction of the spatial arrangement: the atoms involved in inter-molecular contacts. There are few tools that provide visual information on the forces governing molecular docking. However, these tools, commonly restricted to close interaction between atoms, do not consider whole simulation paths, long-range distances and, importantly, do not provide visual cues for a quick and intuitive comprehension of the energy functions (modeling intermolecular interactions) involved. In this paper, we propose visualizations designed to enable the characterization of interaction forces by taking into account several relevant variables such as molecule-ligand distance and the energy function, which is essential to understand binding affinities. We put emphasis on mapping molecular docking paths obtained from Molecular Dynamics or Monte Carlo simulations, and provide time-dependent visualizations for different energy components and particle resolutions: atoms, groups or residues. The presented visualizations have the potential to support domain experts in a more efficient drug or enzyme design process.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Insensitive call admission control for wireless multiservice networks

We propose a call admission control policy and prove that the CTMC that models the multiservice wireless system enforcing the CAC scheme is reversible and its stationary distribution is insensitive to the channel holding time distribution. © 2011 IEEE.This work was supported by the Spanish Government through projects TIN2008-06739-C04-02 and TIN2010-21378-C02-02.Martínez Bauset, J.; Pla, V.; Bernal Mor, E. (2011). Insensitive call admission control for wireless multiservice networks. IEEE Communications Letters. 15(9):989-991. doi:10.1109/LCOMM.2011.072911.111513S98999115

Handover Performance for Elastic Flows in Mobile Cellular Networks

The characterization of flows duration and their handover metrics is of paramount importance for the design and resource management of mobile networks. Elastic flows duration characterization is more involved than for streaming sessions, as it depends on the network load. In this work, the distribution of flows duration is characterized by a phase type distribution. The model is then applied to determine the handover probability under different cell residence time and flow size distributions. Simulation results confirm that the proposed model yields very accurate results under realistic assumptions. © 2012 IEEE.This work was supported by the Spanish Government through projects TIN2008-06739-C04-02 and TIN2010-21378-C02-02.Bernal Mor, E.; Pla, V.; Martínez Bauset, J. (2012). Handover Performance for Elastic Flows in Mobile Cellular Networks. IEEE Communications Letters. 61(6):2686-2697. doi:10.1109/LCOMM.2012.081612.121366S2686269761

Las carreteras de la Diputación de Valencia. Caracterización y balance territorial de las inversiones

Con el fin de estudiar el sistema de carreteras de la provincia de Valencia –objetivo de esta publicación–, se ha procedido a la identificación de los antecedentes históricos de la red de carreteras de la Diputación de Valencia, ya que los planes de carreteras del siglo XIX fueron instrumentos imprescindibles y constituyeron unos originales modos de proceder para la ordenación territorial. Se ha realizado, también, un dibujo de la actual red de carreteras, contemplando aspectos como su identificación y su clasificación por longitud y comarcas; los usos diferentes según el tráfico de vehículos; la accidentalidad, o su relación con los espacios naturales. El análisis del conjunto de las inversiones destinadas a las infraestructuras viarias, tanto de conservación como de mejora, identifica una evolución continua de la funcionalidad de las carreteras, su puesta en valor y mejoras de seguridad y de calidad. De la misma manera, se ha abordado la territorialización de dichas actuaciones, en función de la información estadística facilitada por la propia institución provincial, para el periodo 2017-2021. Finalmente, se han identificado y analizado posibles impactos de las mejoras de las carreteras en función de determinados parámetros económicos, sociales y medioambientales.In order to study the road system in the province of Valencia - the aim of this publication - the historical background to the road network of the Valencia Provincial Council was identified, since the road plans of the 19th century were essential instruments and constituted original ways of proceeding with territorial planning. A drawing of the current road network has also been carried out, looking at aspects such as its identification and classification by length and region; the different uses according to vehicle traffic; accident rates, and its relationship with natural spaces. The analysis of all the investments made in road infrastructure, both in terms of conservation and improvement, identifies a continuous evolution in the functionality of roads, their enhancement and improvements in terms of safety and quality. In the same way, the territorialisation of these actions has been addressed, based on the statistical information provided by the provincial institution itself, for the period 2017-2021. Finally, possible impacts of road improvements have been identified and analysed in terms of certain economic, social and environmental parameters