Tsunami hazard at the Western Mediterranean Spanish coast from seismic sources

Spain represents an important part of the tourism sector in theWestern Mediterranean, which has been affected in the past by tsunamis. Although the tsunami risk at the Spanish coasts is not the highest of the Mediterranean, the necessity of tsunami risk mitigation measures should not be neglected. In the Mediterranean area, Spain is exposed to two different tectonic environments with contrasting characteristics. On one hand, the Alboran Basin characterised by transcurrent and transpressive tectonics and, on the other hand, the North Algerian fold and thrust belt, characterised by compressive tectonics. A set of 22 seismic tsunamigenic sources has been used to estimate the tsunami threat over the Spanish Mediterranean coast of the Iberian peninsula and the Balearic Islands. Maximum wave elevation maps and tsunami travel times have been computed by means of numerical modelling and we have obtained estimations of threat levels for each source over the Spanish coast. The sources on the Western edge of North Algeria are the most dangerous, due to their threat to the South-Eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula and to theWestern Balearic Islands. In general, the Northern Algerian sources pose a greater risk to the Spanish coast than the Alboran Sea sources, which only threaten the peninsular coast. In the Iberian Peninsula, the Spanish provinces of Almeria and Murcia are the most exposed, while all the Balearic Islands can be affected by the North Algerian sources with probable severe damage, specially the islands of Ibiza and Minorca. The results obtained in this work are useful to plan future regional and local warning systems, as well as to set the priority areas to conduct research on detailed tsunami risk

Reflexiones sobre el diseño industrial

1.- Introducción. 2.- El concepto de diseño industrial: 2.1.- Planteamiento. 2.2.- La definición legal de diseño: A.- Concepto legal de diseño. B.- Los productos en los que puede hacerse sensible al diseño. C.- Delimitación frente al diseño artístico y frente a la invención protegible como modelo de utilidad. 3.- El sistema de protección: 3.1.- Planteamiento de la cuestión. 3.2.- Análisis de las distintas opciones. 3.3.- La Directiva y la opción de la Ley española del Diseño: el sistema de la acumulación restringida.El presente estudio analiza el concepto de diseño industrial y sus posibles sistemas de protección. Entre otras cuestiones de interés que se abordan, se encuentra la del concepto legal de diseño y la delimitación del mismo frente al diseño artístico y frente a la invención protegible como modelo de utilidad. Asimismo se analizan las distintas opciones para la protección del diseño industrial y, al respecto, la Directiva y la opción de la Ley española del Diseño, que acoge el sistema de la acumulación restringida.The article analyzes the concept of industrial design and the several systems for its protection. Among other important questions, the article focuses on the legal concept of design and the differences with the art designs and the utility model. Also, the different systems for protecting industrial designs are debated, considering the Directive and the option followed by the Spanish law of design, which establishes the system of the restrictive accumulation

Reflexiones sobre el diseño industrial

1.- Introducción. 2.- El concepto de diseño industrial: 2.1.- Planteamiento. 2.2.- La definición legal de diseño: A.- Concepto legal de diseño. B.- Los productos en los que puede hacerse sensible al diseño. C.- Delimitación frente al diseño artístico y frente a la invención protegible como modelo de utilidad. 3.- El sistema de protección: 3.1.- Planteamiento de la cuestión. 3.2.- Análisis de las distintas opciones. 3.3.- La Directiva y la opción de la Ley española del Diseño: el sistema de la acumulación restringida.El presente estudio analiza el concepto de diseño industrial y sus posibles sistemas de protección. Entre otras cuestiones de interés que se abordan, se encuentra la del concepto legal de diseño y la delimitación del mismo frente al diseño artístico y frente a la invención protegible como modelo de utilidad. Asimismo se analizan las distintas opciones para la protección del diseño industrial y, al respecto, la Directiva y la opción de la Ley española del Diseño, que acoge el sistema de la acumulación restringida.The article analyzes the concept of industrial design and the several systems for its protection. Among other important questions, the article focuses on the legal concept of design and the differences with the art designs and the utility model. Also, the different systems for protecting industrial designs are debated, considering the Directive and the option followed by the Spanish law of design, which establishes the system of the restrictive accumulation

An STM study of molecular exchange processes in organic thin film growth

The growth of a fullerene derivative (PCBM) on top of a layer of a tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) derivative previously deposited on Au(111) has been studied by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The results show that the preferential interaction with the gold substrate induces the exchange of PCBM molecules with the exTTF monolayer, expelling exTTF molecules to the outer surface. This exchange process is forbidden when the thickness of the exTTF layer increases above the monolayer, and the larger surface energy of PCBM leads to the growth of 3D islandsOur work was supported by the MICINN of Spain (FIS2010-18847, FIS2012-33011), Comunidad de Madrid (NanobiomagnetS2009/MAT-1726), CONSOLIDER-INGENIO on Molecular Nanoscience (CSD2007-00010) and European Union (SMALL PITN-GA- 2009-23884

Error analysis in the determination of the electron microscopical contrast transfer function parameters from experimental power Spectra

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The transmission electron microscope is used to acquire structural information of macromolecular complexes. However, as any other imaging device, it introduces optical aberrations that must be corrected if high-resolution structural information is to be obtained. The set of all aberrations are usually modeled in Fourier space by the so-called Contrast Transfer Function (CTF). Before correcting for the CTF, we must first estimate it from the electron micrographs. This is usually done by estimating a number of parameters specifying a theoretical model of the CTF. This estimation is performed by minimizing some error measure between the theoretical Power Spectrum Density (PSD) and the experimentally observed PSD. The high noise present in the micrographs, the possible local minima of the error function for estimating the CTF parameters, and the cross-talking between CTF parameters may cause errors in the estimated CTF parameters.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In this paper, we explore the effect of these estimation errors on the theoretical CTF. For the CTF model proposed in <abbrgrp><abbr bid="B1">1</abbr></abbrgrp> we show which are the most sensitive CTF parameters as well as the most sensitive background parameters. Moreover, we provide a methodology to reveal the internal structure of the CTF model (which parameters influence in which parameters) and to estimate the accuracy of each model parameter. Finally, we explore the effect of the variability in the detection of the CTF for CTF phase and amplitude correction.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We show that the estimation errors for the CTF detection methodology proposed in <abbrgrp><abbr bid="B1">1</abbr></abbrgrp> does not show a significant deterioration of the CTF correction capabilities of subsequent algorithms. All together, the methodology described in this paper constitutes a powerful tool for the quantitative analysis of CTF models that can be applied to other models different from the one analyzed here.</p

Burdigalian deposits of the Santa Cruz Formation in the Sierra Baguales, Austral (Magallanes) Basin: Age, depositional environment and vertebrate fossils

Indexación: Web of Science; Scielo.ABSTRACT. A succession of marine and continental strata on the southern flank of Cerro Cono in the Sierra Baguales, northeast of Torres del Paine, can be correlated with stratigraphic units exposed along the southern border of the Lago Argentino region in Santa Cruz Province, Argentina. These include the Estancia 25 de Mayo Formation and the basal part of the Santa Cruz Formation. The lithological correlation is also confirmed by detrital zircon ages (maximum age of 18.23±0.26 Ma) and a rich assemblage of terrestrial vertebrate fossils, biostratigraphically equivalent to a postColhuehuapian, pre-Santacrucian South American Land Mammal Age (SALMA) fauna, suggesting a range of 19 to 17.8 Ma. Similar ages have been obtained from the basal part of the Santa Cruz Formation at Estancia Quién Sabe in southwestern Argentina, supporting the assumption of a regional continuity between these deposits. A measured lithostratigraphic column is presented and the depositional environment is interpreted as a coastal plain with small, meandering rivers and ephemeral floodplain lakes. The sedimentation coincides with intensified uplift of the Patagonian Andes during the ‘Quechua Phase’ of Andean tectonism, which is reflected by a change in paleocurrent directions from northwest to east-northeast. Keywords: Burdigalian, Santa Cruz Formation, Santacrucian SALMA, ‘Notohippidian’ fauna, Meandering rivers.RESUMEN. Una sucesión de estratos marinos y continentales en el flanco meridional del cerro Cono, en la sierra Baguales, al noreste de Torres del Paine, se correlaciona con estratos al sur de la región de lago Argentino en la Provincia de Santa Cruz, República Argentina. Estas unidades incluyen la Formación Estancia 25 de Mayo y la parte basal de la Formación Santa Cruz. La correlación litológica es, además, confirmada por datación de circones detríticos (edad máxima de 18,23±0,26 Ma) y un variado ensamble de vertebrados fósiles terrestres de edad post-Colhuehuapense a pre-Santacrucense en la escala de Edades Mamífero Sudamericanas (EMAS), con un rango temporal de entre 19 a 17,8 Ma. Edades similares han sido reportadas para la parte basal de la Formación Santa Cruz, en estancia Quién Sabe, en el suroeste de Argentina, ratificando la continuidad regional entre estos depósitos. Se presenta una columna estratigráfica y se interpreta el ambiente de depositación como una llanura costera con pequeños ríos sinuosos y lagos efímeros. La edad de sedimentación coincide con el solevantamiento de los Andes Patagónicos durante la 'Fase Quechua', lo que se ve reflejado por un cambio en la dirección de las paleocorrientes desde el noroeste hacia el este-noreste.http://ref.scielo.org/csxwd

Applications of the Transthoracic Impedance Signal during Resuscitation

Defibrillators acquire both the ECG and the transthoracic impedance (TI) signal through defibrillation pads. TI represents the resistance of the thorax to current flow, and is measured by defibrillators to check that defibrillation pads are correctly attached to the chest of the patient. Additionally, some defibrillators use the TI measurement to adjust the energy of the defibrillation pulse. Changes in tissue composition due to redistribution and movement of fluids induce fluctuations in the TI. Blood flow during the cardiac cycle generates small fluctuations synchronized to each heartbeat. Respiration (or assisted ventilation) also causes changes in the TI. Additionally, during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), chest compressions cause a disturbance in the electrode-skin interface, inducing artifacts in the TI signal. These fluctuations may provide useful information regarding CPR quality, length of pauses in chest compressions (no flow time), presence of circulation, etc. This chapter explores the new applications of the transthoracic impedance signal acquired through defibrillation pads during resuscitative attempts

Flipped learning and formative evaluation in higher education

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to design and validate a continuous self-assessment tool that involves university students in reflection processes on their Flipped Learning model learning. Design/methodology/approach – For this, 66 students (18.77± 1.36) of the first year of the Degree in Physical Activity and Sports Sciences participated for nine weeks in the weekly completion of a self-assessment tool. The questionnaire followed a content validation by a group of experts and, subsequently, reliability was found from the internal consistency perspective through Cronbach’s α. Findings – The results obtained show a reliable tool that facilitates the work by competencies in university education under the Flipped Learning model. Originality/value – This work is the first step that responds to the almost non-existent practices of democratic evaluation in Higher Education. The design and validation of questionnaires that consider the measures adopted by the European Higher Education Area and that takes into account European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System is scarce