From specialized to core course in Telecommunications degree: Experiences from digital electronic design and verification

[EN] The European Higher Education Area (EHEA) defines the competences for professional practice of a Telecommunications Engineer. The School of Telecommunication Engineering of the Universitat Politècnica de València (Valencia, Spain) provides an integrated education program consisting of a Graduate (GITST) + Master (MUIT). The GITST course offers four specialization tracks: Electronics, Telematics, Communication Systems and Multimedia for the proper acquisition of knowledge and competences of the future Telecommunications Engineers. In 2018, the graduate program has implemented a structural change in the organization of subjects for reinforcing important skills, in which a course on digital electronics design and verification (Integration of Digital Systems, ISDIGI) has been transformed into a core subject of the study plan. In this paper, we describe the methodology and adaptation of ISDIGI (i.e. a project-based learning intermediate HDL course that includes design and verification abilities) to the new GITST Curriculum. In addition, this paper describes the process of moving from specialized to core subject.Martínez Millana, A.; Liberos Mascarell, A.; Monzó Ferrer, JM.; Martínez Peiró, MA.; Martínez Pérez, JD.; Gadea Gironés, R. (2020). From specialized to core course in Telecommunications degree: Experiences from digital electronic design and verification. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 229-238. https://doi.org/10.4995/INN2019.2019.10133OCS22923

Real-time early warning system design for pluvial flash floods - A review

[EN] Pluvial flash floods in urban areas are becoming increasingly frequent due to climate change and human actions, negatively impacting the life, work, production and infrastructure of a population. Pluvial flooding occurs when intense rainfall overflows the limits of urban drainage and water accumulation causes hazardous flash floods. Although flash floods are hard to predict given their rapid formation, Early Warning Systems (EWS) are used to minimize casualties. We performed a systematic review to define the basic structure of an EWS for rain flash floods. The structure of the review is as follows: first, Section 2 describes the most important factors that affect the intensity of pluvial flash floods during rainfall events. Section 3 defines the key elements and actors involved in an effective EWS. Section 4 reviews different EWS architectures for pluvial flash floods implemented worldwide. It was identified that the reviewed projects did not follow guidelines to design early warning systems, neglecting important aspects that must be taken into account in their implementation. Therefore, this manuscript proposes a basic structure for an effective EWS for pluvial flash floods that guarantees the forecasting process and alerts dissemination during rainfall events.Administrative Department of Science, Technology and Innovation of the presidency of the Republic of Colombia (COLCIENCIAS) #728.Acosta-Coll, M.; Ballester Merelo, FJ.; Martínez Peiró, MA.; De La Hoz-Franco, E. (2018). Real-time early warning system design for pluvial flash floods - A review. Sensors. 18(7). https://doi.org/10.3390/s18072255S187Kundzewicz, Z. W. (2002). Non-structural Flood Protection and Sustainability. Water International, 27(1), 3-13. doi:10.1080/02508060208686972Singh, P., Sinha, V. S. P., Vijhani, A., & Pahuja, N. (2018). Vulnerability assessment of urban road network from urban flood. 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J. (2017). Development of flood alert application in Mushim stream watershed Korea. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 21, 11-26. doi:10.1016/j.ijdrr.2016.11.008Creutin, J. D., Borga, M., Gruntfest, E., Lutoff, C., Zoccatelli, D., & Ruin, I. (2013). A space and time framework for analyzing human anticipation of flash floods. Journal of Hydrology, 482, 14-24. doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2012.11.009Yin, J., Yu, D., Yin, Z., Liu, M., & He, Q. (2016). Evaluating the impact and risk of pluvial flash flood on intra-urban road network: A case study in the city center of Shanghai, China. Journal of Hydrology, 537, 138-145. doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2016.03.037UNISDR Terminology on Disaster Risk Reductionhttps://www.unisdr.org/we/inform/publications/657Einfalt, T., Hatzfeld, F., Wagner, A., Seltmann, J., Castro, D., & Frerichs, S. (2009). URBAS: forecasting and management of flash floods in urban areas. Urban Water Journal, 6(5), 369-374. doi:10.1080/15730620902934819Lam, R. P. K., Leung, L. P., Balsari, S., Hsiao, K., Newnham, E., Patrick, K., … Leaning, J. (2017). Urban disaster preparedness of Hong Kong residents: A territory-wide survey. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 23, 62-69. doi:10.1016/j.ijdrr.2017.04.008Bouwer, L. M., Papyrakis, E., Poussin, J., Pfurtscheller, C., & Thieken, A. H. (2014). The Costing of Measures for Natural Hazard Mitigation in Europe. Natural Hazards Review, 15(4), 04014010. doi:10.1061/(asce)nh.1527-6996.0000133Praskievicz, S., & Chang, H. (2009). A review of hydrological modelling of basin-scale climate change and urban development impacts. Progress in Physical Geography: Earth and Environment, 33(5), 650-671. doi:10.1177/0309133309348098Hunt, A., & Watkiss, P. (2010). Climate change impacts and adaptation in cities: a review of the literature. Climatic Change, 104(1), 13-49. doi:10.1007/s10584-010-9975-6Kundzewicz, Z. W., Kanae, S., Seneviratne, S. I., Handmer, J., Nicholls, N., Peduzzi, P., … Sherstyukov, B. 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K., Wagner, W., & Blöschl, G. (2016). Initial soil moisture effects on flash flood generation – A comparison between basins of contrasting hydro-climatic conditions. Journal of Hydrology, 541, 206-217. doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2016.03.007Zhang, J., Yu, Z., Yu, T., Si, J., Feng, Q., & Cao, S. (2018). Transforming flash floods into resources in arid China. Land Use Policy, 76, 746-753. doi:10.1016/j.landusepol.2018.03.002Spiekermann, R., Kienberger, S., Norton, J., Briones, F., & Weichselgartner, J. (2015). The Disaster-Knowledge Matrix – Reframing and evaluating the knowledge challenges in disaster risk reduction. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 13, 96-108. doi:10.1016/j.ijdrr.2015.05.002Weichselgartner, J., & Pigeon, P. (2015). The Role of Knowledge in Disaster Risk Reduction. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 6(2), 107-116. doi:10.1007/s13753-015-0052-7Hunt, D. P. (2003). The concept of knowledge and how to measure it. Journal of Intellectual Capital, 4(1), 100-113. doi:10.1108/14691930310455414Strengthening Capacities for Disaster Risk Reduction, A Primerhttps://www.preventionweb.net/files/globalplatform/entry_bg_paper~strengtheningcapacityfordrraprimerfullreport.pdfSurjan, A., Sharma, A., & Shaw, R. (2011). Chapter 2 Understanding Urban Resilience. Community, Environment and Disaster Risk Management, 17-45. doi:10.1108/s2040-7262(2011)0000006008Fakhruddin, S. H. M., Kawasaki, A., & Babel, M. S. (2015). Community responses to flood early warning system: Case study in Kaijuri Union, Bangladesh. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 14, 323-331. doi:10.1016/j.ijdrr.2015.08.004Balis, B., Kasztelnik, M., Bubak, M., Bartynski, T., Gubała, T., Nowakowski, P., & Broekhuijsen, J. (2011). The UrbanFlood Common Information Space for Early Warning Systems. Procedia Computer Science, 4, 96-105. doi:10.1016/j.procs.2011.04.011Krzhizhanovskaya, V. V., Shirshov, G. S., Melnikova, N. B., Belleman, R. G., Rusadi, F. I., Broekhuijsen, B. J., … Meijer, R. J. (2011). Flood early warning system: design, implementation and computational modules. Procedia Computer Science, 4, 106-115. doi:10.1016/j.procs.2011.04.012Chang, C. L., & Lin, T.-C. (2015). The role of organizational culture in the knowledge management process. Journal of Knowledge Management, 19(3), 433-455. doi:10.1108/jkm-08-2014-0353MARK, O., WEESAKUL, S., APIRUMANEKUL, C., AROONNET, S., & DJORDJEVIC, S. (2004). Potential and limitations of 1D modelling of urban flooding. Journal of Hydrology, 299(3-4), 284-299. doi:10.1016/s0022-1694(04)00373-7Henonin, J., Russo, B., Mark, O., & Gourbesville, P. (2013). Real-time urban flood forecasting and modelling – a state of the art. Journal of Hydroinformatics, 15(3), 717-736. doi:10.2166/hydro.2013.132Mayhorn, C. B., & McLaughlin, A. C. (2014). Warning the world of extreme events: A global perspective on risk communication for natural and technological disaster. 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Journal of Meteorology, 5(4), 165-166. doi:10.1175/1520-0469(1948)0052.0.co;2Liquid-Level Monitoring Using a Pressure Sensorhttp://www.ti.com/lit/an/snaa127/snaa127.pdfUltrasonic Transmitters vshttps://www.flo-corp.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LTT1_UltrasonicTransmitters_GuidedWaveRadar_LevelMeasurement_whitepaper.pdfPanda, K. G., Agrawal, D., Nshimiyimana, A., & Hossain, A. (2016). Effects of environment on accuracy of ultrasonic sensor operates in millimetre range. Perspectives in Science, 8, 574-576. doi:10.1016/j.pisc.2016.06.024Saad, C., Mostafa, B., Ahmadi, E., & Abderrahmane, H. (2014). Comparative Performance Analysis of Wireless Communication Protocols for Intelligent Sensors and Their Applications. 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A considerable improvement of the traditional FPGA-based digital design methodology by using an Arduino sensor board

[EN] The traditional way to learn and teach Digital Systems has been changing over the last decades by the use of Hardware Description Languages (HDL) and Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) evaluation boards. The use of an Arduino development kit with different sensors connected to the FPGA upsizes the students experience in the area of Digital Systems. A temperature and humidity ambience sensor combined with an ultrasound sensor to measure distance can effectively be used by students to implement its first serial data converter that takes the sensor data and shows the obtained values from the Arduino in the seven segment display of the FPGA kit. After three years of experience in the new grade courses at the UPV Telecommunication School the number of students enjoying this new way to learn the subject Fundamentals of Digital Electronics (FSD) has dramatically risen up with an increase of a 20% in the number of students that pass the subject and that select the electronic branch of telecommunication studies in the future semesters.Martínez Peiró, MA.; Larrea Torres, MÁ.; Lidon Roger, J.; Jiménez Jiménez, Y.; Torres Curado, R.; Tébar Ruiz, Á. (2020). A considerable improvement of the traditional FPGA-based digital design methodology by using an Arduino sensor board. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 81-89. https://doi.org/10.4995/INN2019.2019.10091OCS818

Population-based multicase-control study in common tumors in Spain (MCC-Spain): rationale and study design

Introduction: We present the protocol of a large population-based case-control study of 5 common tumors in Spain (MCC-Spain) that evaluates environmental exposures and genetic factors. Methods: Between 2008-2013, 10,183 persons aged 20-85 years were enrolled in 23 hospitals and primary care centres in 12 Spanish provinces including 1,115 cases of a new diagnosis of prostate cancer, 1,750 of breast cancer, 2,171 of colorectal cancer, 492 of gastro-oesophageal cancer, 554 cases of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) and 4,101 population-based controls matched by frequency to cases by age, sex and region of residence. Participation rates ranged from 57% (stomach cancer) to 87% (CLL cases) and from 30% to 77% in controls. Participants completed a face-to-face computerized interview on sociodemographic factors, environmental exposures, occupation, medication, lifestyle, and personal and family medical history. In addition, participants completed a self-administered food-frequency questionnaire and telephone interviews. Blood samples were collected from 76% of participants while saliva samples were collected in CLL cases and participants refusing blood extractions. Clinical information was recorded for cases and paraffin blocks and/or fresh tumor samples are available in most collaborating hospitals. Genotyping was done through an exome array enriched with genetic markers in specific pathways. Multiple analyses are planned to assess the association of environmental, personal and genetic risk factors for each tumor and to identify pleiotropic effects. Discussion: This study, conducted within the Spanish Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology & Public Health (CIBERESP), is a unique initiative to evaluate etiological factors for common cancers and will promote cancer research and prevention in Spain.The study was partially funded by the “Accion Transversal del Cancer”, approved on the Spanish Ministry Council on the 11th October 2007, by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III-FEDER (PI08/1770, PI08/0533, PI08/1359, PS09/00773, PS09/01286, PS09/01903, PS09/02078, PS09/01662, PI11/01403, PI11/01889, PI11/00226, PI11/01810, PI11/02213, PI12/00488, PI12/00265, PI12/01270, PI12/00715, PI12/00150), by the Fundación Marqués de Valdecilla (API 10/09), by the ICGC International Cancer Genome Consortium CLL, by the Junta de Castilla y León (LE22A10-2), by the Consejería de Salud of the Junta de Andalucía (PI-0571), by the Conselleria de Sanitat of the Generalitat Valenciana (AP 061/10), by the Recercaixa (2010ACUP 00310), by the Regional Government of the Basque Country by European Commission grants FOOD-CT- 2006-036224-HIWATE, by the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC) Scientific Foundation, by the The Catalan Government DURSI grant 2009SGR1489