From Linear to Zonal Management Contracts: A Proposal for the Public Inter-Urban Transportation of Travelers by Road in Aragón

El objetivo del artículo es presentar una propuesta de reestructuración del sistema de transporte interurbano de viajeros por carretera en Aragón, a partir del diagnóstico previo. Para ello se recurre a diversas fuentes de información y se utilizan técnicas de análisis espacial. Se constata la dificultad de prestar un servicio de transporte de calidad en regiones de baja densidad demográfica y dispersión del poblamiento y se identifican las ineficiencias del actual sistema de concesiones lineales. Se propone un nuevo sistema de concesiones zonales, que permite mayor coordinación e integra transporte regular y escolar. La propuesta se valora económicamente y se contrasta con los planes de la administración regional.The objective of the article is to present a proposal for the restructuring of the interurban transportation system of travellers by road in Aragón, based on a previous diagnosis. Several sources of information and spatial analysis methods are used. The difficulty of providing a quality transport service in regions of low population density and settlements dispersion is noted and the inefficiencies of the current system of linear concessions are identified. A new system of zonal concessions is proposed, which allows for greater coordination and integrates general and school transportation. The proposal is valued economically and compared with the plans of the regional administration

Towards Developing a Virtual Guitar Instructor through Biometrics Informed Human-Computer Interaction

Within the last few years, wearable sensor technologies have allowed us to access novel biometrics that give us the ability to connect musical gesture to computing systems. Doing this affords us to study how we perform musically and understand the process at data level. However, biometric information is complex and cannot be directly mapped to digital systems. In this work, we study how guitar performance techniques can be captured/analysed towards developing an AI which can provide real-time feedback to guitar students. We do this by performing musical exercises on the guitar whilst acquiring and processing biometric (plus audiovisual) information during their performance. Our results show: there are notable differences within biometrics when playing a guitar scale in two different ways (legato and staccato) and this outcome can be used to motivate our intention to build an AI guitar tutor

Sustainable financing through crowdfunding

The phenomenon of crowdfunding has been widely studied, while the sustainability of crowdfunded ventures is attracting growing interest from academia and society. In light of this interest, we conducted bibliometric analysis to study the relationship between crowdfunding and crowdfunded ventures’ sustainability orientation. We analyzed the number of publications, type of publications, and most productive countries, journals, and authors. We also analyzed the most cited articles and examined their approach to sustainability and crowdfunding. The results suggested that a sustainability orientation could bring about change in the current financial and environmental system

Exploring the interfacial neutral pH region of Pt(111) electrodes

The interfacial properties of Pt(111) single crystal electrodes have been investigated in the pH range 3 < pH < 5 in order to obtain information about the acidity of electrosorbed water. Proper experimental conditions are defined to avoid local pH changes while maintaining the absence of specifically adsorbed anions and preserving the cleanliness of the solution. For this purpose, buffer solutions resulting from mixtures of NaF and HClO4 are used. Total charge curves are obtained at different pHs from the integration of the voltammetric currents in combination with CO charge displacement experiments. Analysis of the composition of the interphase as a function of the pH provides information for the understanding of the notion of interfacial pH.Support from MINECO (Spain) through project CTQ2013-44083-P is greatly acknowledged. RMH thankfully acknowledges support from Generalitat Valenciana under the Santiago Grisolia Program (GRISOLIA/2013/008). PS thankfully acknowledges to the Generalitat Valenciana the award of a valid grand

Damage investigation of a tunnel subjected to an unplanned surface load through non-linear analysis

First published by the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE), Zurich, Switzerland, www.iabse.org; in Structural Engineering International 2017, Vol.27, issue 3, pg. 422-428.A description of the deformations and damage that occurred in a segmental tunnel lining as a consequence of an unplanned surface load is presented, as well as the numerical analyses performed for its safety assessment. The tunnel in study is located in soft soil conditions and presents a low overburden. Few months after tunnel drilling, a new bridge was constructed at surface level, placing an access embankment over the tunnel path. Monitoring points were installed along the affected section which recorded the deformation of the tunnel caused by the embankment weight. More worryingly, despite no additional loads were introduced, the deformation of the lining continued increasing significantly along the next months, indicating the existence of soil consolidation phenomena. As a consequence, structural cracks emerged along the affected section. Non-linear finite element models that realistically simulate the behaviour of the non-linear segment joints and the concrete cracking were used to characterize the actual response and strength of the lining. The results showed that most significant damages should occur at the non-visible extrados side, and characterized how they evolve along the soil consolidation process. Finally, the adopted tunnel strengthening procedure is described.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Quality control test for SFRC to be used in precast segments

Current methods to measure tensile strength and toughness in Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete (SFRC) show a considerable scatter. That scatter makes difficult the quality control, in particular when such properties are taken into account in the evaluation of overall strength of the precast tunnel lining segments, as in the case of the Line 9 of the subway in Barcelona. In order to improve the material assessment procedure, the Double Punch Test (DPT) has been recovered for the quality control of the tension behavior of SFRC. Results of an initial feasibility research are presented, showing a significant reduction of the scatter in the values of the tension strength and in the toughness. Other advantages shown by this test are: (1) the reduced size 150x150 mm of the cylindrical specimens, compared with those used in beam test, and (2) the use of a conventional compression press controlled by displacement.Peer Reviewe

Surface Acid–Base Properties of Anion-Adsorbed Species at Pt(111) Electrode Surfaces in Contact with CO2-Containing Perchloric Acid Solutions

Carbonate and bicarbonate adsorption on Pt(111) electrodes from CO2-saturated acidic solutions is investigated by cyclic voltammetry and Fourier transform infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (FT-IRRAS). Spectroscopic results show carbonate and bicarbonate adsorption even at pH = 1, where bulk concentration of these anions is negligible. Moreover, analysis of the potential dependence of band intensities corresponding to adsorbed carbonate and bicarbonate reveals an effect of the electrode potential on the surface acid–base equilibrium. In this regard, increasing potentials favor bicarbonate deprotonation, leading to carbonate formation. A tentative thermodynamic analysis is given to rationalize these trends.Support from MINECO (Spain) through project CTQ2013-44083-P is greatly acknowledged. RMH thankfully acknowledges support from Generalitat Valenciana under the Santiago Grisolía Program (GRISOLIA/2013/008)

Noves eines per a l'aprenentatge del formigó estructural mitjançant les TIC

Resultat de un conjunt de projectes d’innovació educativa és l’elaboració d’una plataforma web per a la docència del formigó estructural, denominada Hormiweb. L’objectiu d’aquesta és facilitar l’aprenentatge del formigó estructural, aprofitant les possibilitats que les tecnologies de la informació i la comunicació ofereixen. Com a objectiu col•lateral, s’està fen una revisió profunda del material docent disponible, així com de la manera d’enfocar les explicacions que s’ofereix als estudiants i els complements metodològics a utilitzar, amb l’objectiu d’apropar als plantejaments previsibles a usar en la implantació del marc europeu d’educació superior. El plantejament va més enllà d’una simple reposició de documentació i pretén oferir nous modes de relació entre estudiants i professors, així com de sistemes de seguiment del treball dels alumnes. Com síntesi de l’eina, les opcions contingudes per l’Hormiweb son les següents: nova documentació de la teoria fonamental, potenciació dels jocs com eina d’aprenentatge, potenciació d’eines interactives de simulació per a facilitar l’adquisició de coneixements, sistemes d’auto avaluació associat a la pràctica, la política del cas com element per facilitar la pressa de decisions, etc. La informació està estructurada en diferents nivells de forma que l’estudiant pot decidir el nivell de coneixement al que desitja arribar

Ecología evolutiva de la reproducción en dos pinos mediterráneos: Pinus pinaster y Pinus Halepensis

La adaptación de los árboles a su entorno está ligada a una adecuada programación de la reproducción, que a su vez está interrelacionada con el crecimiento y mantenimiento. Los ensayos genéticos forestales permiten testar las hipótesis de diferenciación y plasticidad para caracteres adaptativos tan relevantes como el tamaño umbral de reproducción y la alometría de la reproducción. Los resultados de varios ensayos de Pinus pinaster y P. halepensis en condiciones ambientales contrastadas corroboran una diferenciación entre procedencias y la existencia de variabilidad genética para caracteres reproductivos en ambas especies. En general, los ambientes de origen con un alto grado de continentalidad se relacionaron con una reproducción femenina precoz y más intensa en relación al tamaño. A su vez, unas condiciones más limitantes del ambiente de ensayo también tendieron a acelerar la reproducción. En P. pinaster, además, encontramos marcadas diferencias en la asignación sexual entre procedencias. Estos resultados demuestran compromisos entre crecimiento y reproducción, constatados a nivel genético mediante correlaciones genéticas negativas y a nivel fisiológico mediante experimentos de retirada de conos. Esta información es clave para entender la adaptación local y orientar el uso y conservación de los recursos genéticos de ambas especies.genética forestaldiversidad genéticaasignación reproductivaadaptación localcaracteres de historia vitalPublishedPóste

Seed sourcing strategies considering climate change forecasts: a practical test in scots pine

Producción CientíficaResearch Highlights: We experimentally tested different seed sourcing strategies (local, predictive, climate-predictive, climate-adjusted, composite and admixture) under a climate change high emissions scenario using a Scots pine multi-site provenance test. Background and Objectives: There is an urgent need to conserve genetic resources and to support resilience of conifer species facing expected changes and threats. Seed sourcing strategies have been proposed to maximize the future adaptation and resilience of our forests. However, these proposals are yet to be tested, especially in long-lived organisms as forest trees, due to methodological constraints. In addition, some methods rely on the transfer of material from populations matching the future conditions of the sites. However, at the rear edge of the species, some specific problems (high fragmentation, high genetic differentiation, role of genetic drift) challenge the theoretical expectations of some of these methods. Materials and Methods: We used a Scots pine multi-site provenance test, consisting of seventeen provenances covering the distribution range of the species in Spain tested in five representative sites. We measured height, diameter and survival at 5, 10 and 15 years after planting. We simulated populations of 50 trees by bootstrapping material of the provenance test after removing the intra-site environmental effects, simulating different seed sourcing strategies. Results: We found that local and predictive methods behaved better than methods based on the selection of future climate-matching strategies (predictive-climate and climate-adjusted) and those combining several seed sources (composite and admixture seed sourcing strategies). Conclusions: Despite the theoretical expectations, for Scots pine, a forest tree species at its rear edge of its distribution, seed-sourcing methods based on climate matching or a combination of seed sources do not perform better than traditional local or predictive methods or they are not feasible because of the lack of future climate-matching populations.Fondo Europeo Agrícola de Desarrollo Rural - (Project AEG 17-048)European Union’s Horizon 2020 (Grant 773383)Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación - (Proyecto RTI2018-094691-B-C32