Hydrodynamic changes in Guadalquivir estuary (Spain) due to a hypothetical tidal marsh restoration project

Tidal marsh restoration will be an important management issue in Guadalquivir Estuary in the near future. The Guadalquivir Estuary has been anthropologically modified several times, the river is bounded by embankments to protect rice and cotton plantations from tidal inundation, the meanders have been transformed into straight sections, about 80 % of the original marsh surface has been lost and approximately one-fourth of the total surface of the estuary is now part of two protected areas, one of them is a UNESCO, MAB Biosphere Reserve. A hypothetical restoration of tidal marshes will benefits different species and functions based on location, elevation, adjacent habitats, degree of hydrodynamic connectivity and would reduce the present high levels of turbidity. The restoration projects should be accompanied by studies for a better understanding of the environmental changes expected. A Large-scale construction of tidal marsh will change tidal dynamics, modify the tidal inundation regime and the freshwater flow over the surrounding areas. A hydrodynamic model has been developed to study changes in the tidal propagation and the flow regime due to a hypothetical marsh restoration. The model has been calibrated and the output has been validated with in situ water elevation and good agreement between modelled and real measurements have been obtained. A sensitivity test changing the size, locations from the estuary mouth and depth has been carried out to highlights impacts over the tidal propagation, flow regime, salinity intrusion and the tidal inundation regime. Our preliminary results show that the tidal elevation and the current speed will be considerably affected in the estuary. The model open the possibility to study interactions among the tidal marsh restoration project, Seville port operations, fisheries and agricultural activities. The numerical model will be a powerful tool in restoration projects in a complex socio-ecological system.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech. Autoridad Portuaria de Sevill

Modeling changes in the tidal propagation and its implication for vessel navigation in Guadalquivir estuary ( Spain)

The Port of Seville is an inland harbour located in the Guadalquivir Estuary some 80 km from the river mouth and is the unique Spanish inland port. Vessel traffic in the estuary is a relevant economic activity and a suitable trade-off between vessel draught and safety to prevent ship aground is required and to optimize the port operability. The Guadalquivir is a mesotidal estuary with tidal range of 2-3 m, an important fraction of the minimum depth of the navigation waterway (presently 6.5m). Upstream navigation is favoured around high water as the tide progresses at 12 knots, which is comparable to the vessel speed, thus allowing greater vessel draughts. Oceanwards navigation of heavy vessels, on the contrary, is hampered by the tide because a low water is unavoidably met when heading downstream. A 3D, high resolution hydrodynamic model has been implemented in the whole estuary to study the tidal propagation. The model is forced by the oceanic tide at the mouth and freshwater discharges controlled by an upstream dam at the head. It has been satisfactorily validated and predicts tidal oscillations with high accuracy (less than 4 cm in amplitude and 20 min in phase everywhere in the estuary). Based on the model outputs of tidal heights and currents and using present-day estuary bathymetry, a MATLAB application has been developed for shipping planning (Vessel Traffic Decision Support System, VTDSS). The application allows the final users to test different traffic scheduling scenarios in order to assess the effects on navigational patterns and explore possible management and policy scenarios under sea level rise and changes in tidal propagation. A description of the model and an overview of the VTDSS are presented here; the effectiveness as a decision support tool is demonstrated via the simulated navigation time of several vessels.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech. Autoridad Portuaria de Sevill

ITERL: A Wireless Adaptive System for Efficient Road Lighting

This work presents the development and construction of an adaptive street lighting system that improves safety at intersections, which is the result of applying low-power Internet of Things (IoT) techniques to intelligent transportation systems. A set of wireless sensor nodes using the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.15.4 standard with additional internet protocol (IP) connectivity measures both ambient conditions and vehicle transit. These measurements are sent to a coordinator node that collects and passes them to a local controller, which then makes decisions leading to the streetlight being turned on and its illumination level controlled. Streetlights are autonomous, powered by photovoltaic energy, and wirelessly connected, achieving a high degree of energy efficiency. Relevant data are also sent to the highway conservation center, allowing it to maintain up-to-date information for the system, enabling preventive maintenance.Consejería de Fomento y Vivienda Junta de Andalucía G-GI3002 / IDIOFondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional G-GI3002 / IDI

Environment, innovation and productivity: application of a CDM model to the spanish service sector

The main aim of this study is to determine the impact of innovation on productivity in service sector companies — especially those in the hospitality sector — that value the reduction of environmental impact as relevant to the innovation process. We used a structural analysis model based on the one developed by Crépon, Duguet, and Mairesse (1998). This model is known as the CDM model (an acronym of the authors’ surnames). These authors developed seminal studies in the field of the relationships between innovation and productivity (Griliches 1979; Pakes and Grilliches 1980). The main advantage of the CDM model is its ability to integrate the process of innovation and business productivity from an empirical perspective.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Environmental concern in tourism from a cross-national perspective

This paper analyzes how tourist from European countries consider environmental issues when making decisions about their their holiday plans. Modelling these decisions is a challenge because environmental concerns depends on both individiual characteristics and contextul factors related to the country or residence, such as cultural, social and economic condictions. For that reason, environmental support by households exhibit a particular type of grouped structure, where individual, firs level, are nested into countries, second level. This hierarchical structure of date are dealed with a multilevel aproach. The estimates from a Two-Level Random Intercept Logistic Model and the post-estimation analysis demonstrate that the effects of country vary randomly, and that there is significant variance in the level of tourists´ environmental support within and between countries.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

From perception to action and vice versa: a new architecture showing how perception and action can modulate each other simultaneously

Presentado en: 6th European Conference on Mobile Robots (ECMR) Sep 25-27, 2013 Barcelona, SpainArtificial vision systems can not process all the information that they receive from the world in real time because it is highly expensive and inefficient in terms of computational cost. However, inspired by biological perception systems, it is possible to develop an artificial attention model able to select only the relevant part of the scene, as human vision does. From the Automated Planning point of view, a relevant area can be seen as an area where the objects involved in the execution of a plan are located. Thus, the planning system should guide the attention model to track relevant objects. But, at the same time, the perceived objects may constrain or provide new information that could suggest the modification of a current plan. Therefore, a plan that is being executed should be adapted or recomputed taking into account actual information perceived from the world. In this work, we introduce an architecture that creates a symbiosis between the planning and the attention modules of a robotic system, linking visual features with high level behaviours. The architecture is based on the interaction of an oversubscription planner, that produces plans constrained by the information perceived from the vision system, and an object-based attention system, able to focus on the relevant objects of the plan being executed.Spanish MINECO projects TIN2008-06196, TIN2012-38079-C03-03 and TIN2012-38079-C03-02. Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tec

Planar ESPAR Array Design with Nonsymmetrical Pattern by Means of Finite-Element Method, Domain Decomposition, and Spherical Wave Expansion

The application of a 3D domain decomposition finite-element and spherical mode expansion for the design of planar ESPAR (electronically steerable passive array radiator) made with probe-fed circular microstrip patches is presented in this work. A global generalized scattering matrix (GSM) in terms of spherical modes is obtained analytically from the GSM of the isolated patches by using rotation and translation properties of spherical waves. The whole behaviour of the array is characterized including all the mutual coupling effects between its elements. This procedure has been firstly validated by analyzing an array of monopoles on a ground plane, and then it has been applied to synthesize a prescribed radiation pattern optimizing the reactive loads connected to the feeding ports of the array of circular patches by means of a genetic algorithm

El videojuego League of legends y su efecto en memoria de trabajo visual y solución de problemas

El propósito de este estudio es medir los efectos que tiene el videojuego League of Legends en los procesos cognitivos de memoria de trabajo visual (MVT) y solución de problemas (SP). Para medir dichos efectos se implementó un diseño pre test-post con un grupo experimental y uno control, compuestos cada uno por siete participantes, en donde se evaluaron los procesos previamente mencionados utilizando los cubos de Corsi para MVT y las matrices del WAIS III para SP. Después de realizar los respectivos entrenamientos se encontraron resultados significativos en los diferentes momentos de aplicación. En el grupo experimental se encontraron diferencias en la variable dependiente SP, mientras que en el grupo control en MVT, pero no en la interacción entre grupos ni diferencias entre grupos, lo que sugiere un efecto de familiarización a la prueba.The purpose of this study was to measure the effects of the videogame League Of Legends on the higher cognitive processes of visual working memory (VWM) and problem solving (PS). For this purpose, a pretest-postest design was implemented with an experimental and control group composed of seven participants in each one of these groups. The previously mentioned processes were tested using the Corsi block-tapping task (VWM) and matrix reasoning of WAIS III (PS). After completing the respective training, significant results were found at the different measure points. For the experimental group, significant differences were found in PS, and for the control group significant differences were found for VWM. However no significant results were found for the interaction with group or between the groups. This suggests that a familiarization effect in the application of the tests

Experiencia docente con el bolígrafo digital en el aula

El uso del bolígrafo digital en el aula se ha presentado en diversas publicaciones como un avance TIC que simplificaba la tarea docente entre el profesor y el alumno. En este artículo presentamos la experiencia docente con el bolígrafo digital llevada a cabo dentro de la asignatura de Redes de Comunicaciones del Grado en Ingeniería Informática de la Universidad de Murcia. El artículo describir el método seguido, los procedimientos que se han utilizado para realizar la experiencia y los resultados obtenidos. El artículo discute la experiencia desde el punto de vista del alumno y del profesor para así facilitar suficiente información para que otro profesor pueda adaptar la experiencia expuesta a su asignatura si lo estima oportuno.SUMMARY -- Digital pen in the classroom has been presented in several articles as an advanced ICT solution that simplifies the teaching task between teacher and student. In this paper we present the teaching experience with the digital pen carried within the subject Communications Networks in University of Murcia. The article describes the method and the procedures have been used to make the experience, and finally the main results. The article discusses the experience from the standpoint of the student and the teacher in order to provide sufficient information so that another teacher can tailor the experience exposed to its subject.Peer Reviewe