Achieving competence-based curriculum in Engineering Education in Spain

5 tables, 5 figures, 10 pagesThe fact of placing competences and outcomes learning at the heart of the academic activity means overhauling the curricular architecture of higher education in Europe. Some universities have undergone important transformations moving toward a competence-based learning environment, while others maintain traditional curriculum packaged formats. In the realm of the European Higher Education Area, this paper examines the use of competence-based initiatives in curricular development for engineering degrees with special focus to the Spanish case. Although the concept of competence and competence-based learning has a long history in education and training research, these terms are still very diffuse and demand a clear conceptualization. In the first part of this paper, we provide a conceptual overview and a critical reflection of competences as implemented in a wide range of settings, including its origins, key concepts, and definitions. Next, we discuss the purposes, principles, pitfalls, and processes that enable defining a map of competences within engineering education. Lastly, we present a pilot project involving curriculum development and faculty enhancement within a competence-based learning initiative in Electronic Engineering.This work was supported in part by the Program of European Convergence (Universidad Politécnica de Valencia) and developed within the Project of Adaptation to the European Higher Education in the School of Design Engineering.Peer reviewe

Nondifferentiable G-Mond-Weir Type Multiobjective Symmetric Fractional Problem and Their Duality Theorems under Generalized Assumptions

[EN] In this article, a pair of nondifferentiable second-order symmetric fractional primal-dual model (G-Mond-Weir type model) in vector optimization problem is formulated over arbitrary cones. In addition, we construct a nontrivial numerical example, which helps to understand the existence of such type of functions. Finally, we prove weak, strong and converse duality theorems under aforesaid assumptions.Dubey, R.; Mishra, LN.; Sánchez Ruiz, LM. (2019). Nondifferentiable G-Mond-Weir Type Multiobjective Symmetric Fractional Problem and Their Duality Theorems under Generalized Assumptions. Symmetry (Basel). 11(11):1-18. https://doi.org/10.3390/sym11111348S118111

Strengths and obstacles for quality assurance in the European Higher Education Area: The Spanish case

Trabajo presentado a la International Conference on Engineering Education & Research celebrada del 23 al 28 Agosto de 2009 en Seul (Corea del Sur).Quality assurance and accreditation in higher education are a priority aim in the convergence process to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). Although the majority of European universities are working around these issues, there exist diverse tensions between the national legislation, accreditation and quality assurance, both in internal and external contexts. Spanish Higher Education Institutions must ensure the fulfillment of the goals related to their different degree programs, in a context of continuous improvement. This paper presents the evolution, some examples and the more recent trends related to quality assurance and accreditation in Spain. It comments some instruments that have been developed by the National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation of Spain (ANECA), like the guidelines developed in the AUDIT program whose purpose is to provide guidance in designing internal quality assurance systems.Peer reviewe

Aceros al molibdeno sinterizados con gradiente funcional

Las propiedades que se solicitan a las piezas y productos exigen, la mayoría de las veces, una combinación de materiales que respondan a requerimientos específicos en función de su posición. La fabricación de materiales compuestos y materiales con gradiente funcional proporciona grandes posibilidades de respuesta a las necesidades demandas, tanto de satisfacción de requerimientos como de reducción de materias primas necesarias. En este sentido, satisfacer las propiedades demandadas, de manera localizada geométricamente, puede suponer un ahorro de materias primas y de los residuos relacionados en su fabricación. En el presente estudio de la sinterización a 1120 ºC de un compacto de dos aceros de diferentes composiciones (un acero con un 0,3 % C y un 2 % de cobre y un acero al molibdeno con un 0,7 % carbono y un 2 % de cobre) ofrece unas posibilidades muy atractivas de eficiencia, al reducir en el interior la composición que se requiere en la superficie de las piezas. Se han caracterizado las propiedades mecánicas de este acero sinterizado con gradiente funcional: densidad, variación dimensional, durezas y resistencia mecánica; ilustradas con el análisis de imagen mediante microscopía óptica y electrónica de barrido

Efficient Base-Catalyzed Kemp Elimination in an Engineered Ancestral Enzyme

The routine generation of enzymes with completely new active sites is a major unsolved problem in protein engineering. Advances in this field have thus far been modest, perhaps due, at least in part, to the widespread use of modern natural proteins as scaffolds for de novo engineering. Most modern proteins are highly evolved and specialized and, consequently, difficult to repurpose for completely new functionalities. Conceivably, resurrected ancestral proteins with the biophysical properties that promote evolvability, such as high stability and conformational diversity, could provide better scaffolds for de novo enzyme generation. Kemp elimination, a non-natural reaction that provides a simple model of proton abstraction from carbon, has been extensively used as a benchmark in de novo enzyme engineering. Here, we present an engineered ancestral beta-lactamase with a new active site that is capable of efficiently catalyzing Kemp elimination. The engineering of our Kemp eliminase involved minimalist design based on a single function-generating mutation, inclusion of an extra polypeptide segment at a position close to the de novo active site, and sharply focused, low-throughput library screening. Nevertheless, its catalytic parameters (k(cat)/K-M similar to 2.10(5) M-1 s(-1), k(cat)similar to 635 s(-1)) compare favorably with the average modern natural enzyme and match the best proton-abstraction de novo Kemp eliminases that are reported in the literature. The general implications of our results for de novo enzyme engineering are discussed.Human Frontier Science Program RGP0041/2017Spanish Government RTI-2018-097142-B100 EQC2019-006403-PFEDER/Junta de Andalucia-Consejeria de Economia y Conocimiento E.FQM.113.UGR1

Common Best Proximity Point Results for T-GKT Cyclic f-Contraction Mappings in Partial Metric Spaces with Some Applications

[EN] The aim of this paper is to derive some common best proximity point results in partial metric spaces defining a new class of symmetric mappings, which is a generalization of cyclic phi-contraction mappings. With the help of these symmetric mappings, the characterization of completeness of metric spaces given by Cobzas (2016) is extended here for partial metric spaces. The existence of a solution to the Fredholm integral equation is also obtained here via a fixed-point formulation for such mappings.Goswami, N.; Roy, R.; Mishra, VN.; Sánchez Ruiz, LM. (2021). Common Best Proximity Point Results for T-GKT Cyclic f-Contraction Mappings in Partial Metric Spaces with Some Applications. Symmetry (Basel). 13(6):1-13. https://doi.org/10.3390/sym13061098S11313

On the Growth of Higher Order Complex Linear Differential Equations Solutions with Entire and Meromorphic Coefficients

[EN] We revisit the problem of studying the solutions growth order in complex higher order linear differential equations with entire and meromorphic coefficients of p,q-order, proving how it is related to the growth of the coefficient of the unknown function under adequate assumptions. Our study improves the previous results due to J. Liu - J. Tu - L. Z Shi, L.M. Li - T.B. Cao, and others.Sánchez Ruiz, LM.; Datta, SK.; Tamang, S.; Biswas, N. (2021). On the Growth of Higher Order Complex Linear Differential Equations Solutions with Entire and Meromorphic Coefficients. Mathematics. 9(1):1-10. https://doi.org/10.3390/math9010058S1109

Interpolative Reich-Rus-Ciric and Hardy-Rogers Contraction on Quasi-Partial b-Metric Space and Related Fixed Point Results

[EN] The aim of this paper was to obtain common fixed point results by using an interpolative contraction condition given by Karapinar in the setting of complete metric space. Here in this paper, we have redefined the Reich-Rus-Ciric type contraction and Hardy-Rogers type contraction in the framework of quasi-partial b-metric space and proved the corresponding common fixed point theorem by adopting the notion of interpolation. The results are further validated with the application based on them.Mishra, VN.; Sánchez Ruiz, LM.; Gautam, P.; Verma, S. (2020). Interpolative Reich-Rus-Ciric and Hardy-Rogers Contraction on Quasi-Partial b-Metric Space and Related Fixed Point Results. Mathematics. 8(9):1-11. https://doi.org/10.3390/math8091598S11189Banach, S. (1922). Sur les opérations dans les ensembles abstraits et leur application aux équations intégrales. Fundamenta Mathematicae, 3, 133-181. doi:10.4064/fm-3-1-133-181Shukla, S. (2013). Partial b-Metric Spaces and Fixed Point Theorems. Mediterranean Journal of Mathematics, 11(2), 703-711. doi:10.1007/s00009-013-0327-4MATTHEWS, S. G. (1994). Partial Metric Topology. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 728(1 General Topol), 183-197. doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.1994.tb44144.xKARAPINAR, E. (2018). Revisiting the Kannan Type Contractions via Interpolation. Advances in the Theory of Nonlinear Analysis and its Application, 85-87. doi:10.31197/atnaa.431135Reich, S. (1971). Some Remarks Concerning Contraction Mappings. Canadian Mathematical Bulletin, 14(1), 121-124. doi:10.4153/cmb-1971-024-9Hardy, G. E., & Rogers, T. D. (1973). A Generalization of a Fixed Point Theorem of Reich. Canadian Mathematical Bulletin, 16(2), 201-206. doi:10.4153/cmb-1973-036-0Karapinar, E., Agarwal, R., & Aydi, H. (2018). Interpolative Reich–Rus–Ćirić Type Contractions on Partial Metric Spaces. Mathematics, 6(11), 256. doi:10.3390/math6110256Karapınar, E., Alqahtani, O., & Aydi, H. (2018). On Interpolative Hardy-Rogers Type Contractions. Symmetry, 11(1), 8. doi:10.3390/sym11010008Aydi, H., Karapinar, E., & Roldán López de Hierro, A. (2019). ω-Interpolative Ćirić-Reich-Rus-Type Contractions. Mathematics, 7(1), 57. doi:10.3390/math7010057Debnath, P., & de La Sen, M. de L. (2019). Set-Valued Interpolative Hardy–Rogers and Set-Valued Reich–Rus–Ćirić-Type Contractions in b-Metric Spaces. Mathematics, 7(9), 849. doi:10.3390/math7090849Alqahtani, B., Fulga, A., & Karapınar, E. (2018). Fixed Point Results on Δ-Symmetric Quasi-Metric Space via Simulation Function with an Application to Ulam Stability. Mathematics, 6(10), 208. doi:10.3390/math6100208Aydi, H., Chen, C.-M., & Karapınar, E. (2019). Interpolative Ćirić-Reich-Rus Type Contractions via the Branciari Distance. Mathematics, 7(1), 84. doi:10.3390/math7010084Aydi, H., & Karapinar, E. (2012). A Meir-Keeler common type fixed point theorem on partial metric spaces. Fixed Point Theory and Applications, 2012(1). doi:10.1186/1687-1812-2012-26Ćirić, L., Samet, B., Aydi, H., & Vetro, C. (2011). Common fixed points of generalized contractions on partial metric spaces and an application. Applied Mathematics and Computation, 218(6), 2398-2406. doi:10.1016/j.amc.2011.07.005Karapınar, E., Chi, K. P., & Thanh, T. D. (2012). A Generalization of Ćirić Quasicontractions. Abstract and Applied Analysis, 2012, 1-9. doi:10.1155/2012/518734Mlaiki, N., Abodayeh, K., Aydi, H., Abdeljawad, T., & Abuloha, M. (2018). Rectangular Metric-Like Type Spaces and Related Fixed Points. Journal of Mathematics, 2018, 1-7. doi:10.1155/2018/3581768Gupta, A., & Gautam, P. (2016). Topological Structure of Quasi-Partial b-Metric Spaces. International Journal of Pure Mathematical Sciences, 17, 8-18. doi:10.18052/www.scipress.com/ijpms.17.8Gupta, A., & Gautam, P. (2015). Quasi-partial b-metric spaces and some related fixed point theorems. Fixed Point Theory and Applications, 2015(1). doi:10.1186/s13663-015-0260-

A Survey on Valdivia Open Question on Nikodým Sets

[EN] Let A be an algebra of subsets of a set W and ba(A) the Banach space of bounded finitely additive scalar-valued measures on A endowed with the variation norm. A subset B of A is a Nikodým set for ba(A) if each countable B-pointwise bounded subset M of ba(A) is norm bounded. A subset B of A is a Grothendieck set for ba(A) if for each bounded sequence in ba(A) the B-pointwise convergence on ba(A) implies its ba(A)*-pointwise convergence on ba(A). A subset B of an algebra A is a strong-Nikodým (Grothendieck) set for ba(A) if in each increasing covering {B_n : n \in N} of B there exists B_m which is a Nikodým (Grothendieck) set for ba(A). The answer of the following open question for an algebra A of subsets of a set W, proposed by Valdivia in 2013, has not yet been found: Is it true that if A is a Nikodým set for ba(A) then A is a strong Nikodým set for ba(A)? In this paper we surveyed some results related to this Valdivia¿s open question, as well as the corresponding problem for strong Grothendieck sets. The new Propositions 1 and 3 provide more simplified proofs, particularly in their application to Theorems 1 and 2, which were the main results surveyed. Moreover, the proofs of almost all other propositions are wholly or partially original.This research was funded by grant PGC2018-094431-B-I00 of Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities of Spain for the second named author.López Alfonso, S.; López Pellicer, M.; Moll López, SE.; Sánchez Ruiz, LM. (2022). A Survey on Valdivia Open Question on Nikodým Sets. Mathematics. 10(15):1-11. https://doi.org/10.3390/math10152660111101

A new species, (Orobanche loscosii), a prioritary name for O. Icterica (O. Leptantha) and a new member of the Spanish Flora (O. Elatior)

A la luz de recientes investigaciones que han sinonimizado a Orobanche kochii F.W. Schultz (una bien caracterizada especie de la mitad sureste europea principalmente parásita de Centaurea y frecuentemente confundida con O. elatior Sutton) las plantas parásitas de Echinops que se habían descrito de Francia y Serbia, reconsideramos el status taxonómico de la parásita de Echinops del valle del Ebro y concluimos que es preciso describirla como especie nueva. De paso, probamos que O. leptantha Pomel es un nombre prioritario para la especie para la que Pau acuñó el binomen O. icterica, vicariante de O. elatior muy extendida en España, y confirmamos la existencia de la propia O. elatior en España.In the light of recent research that has synonymized the parasites of Echinops described from France and Serbia to Orobanche kochii F.W. Schultz (a distinct southeastern European species, mainly parasitic on Centaurea and often confounded with O. elatior Sutton), we reassess the taxonomic status of the Echinops parasite from the Ebro basin and conclude that it must be described as a new species. By the way, we demonstrate that O. leptantha Pomel is a prioritary name for the species for which Pau coined the binomen O. icterica, a vicariant of O. elatior widespread in Spain, and we confirm the existence of the true O. elatior in Spain