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The article announces the recipient for the 2005 IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology Outstanding Paper Award presented at the Awards Ceremony of the Society during the 44th IEEE Conference on Decision and Control in Seville, Spain on December 14, 2005. The winning research titled "Worst-Case and Distributional Robustness Analysis of Finite-Time Control Trajectories for Nonlinear Distributed Parameter Systems," by Zoltan K. Nagy and Richard D. Braatz was selected among the papers published in the 2003-2004 issues of the journal. It also calls for nominations for the 2006 IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology Outstanding Paper Award covering the period from January 2004 to December 2005 issues of the journal.

Multi-Media applications are amongst the most demanding services, requiring high amounts of network capacity and computational resources for synchronous audio-visual streaming with high quality. Gaming streaming is one of the most demanding of these media applications. Recent technological advances in the 5G domain, precisely Network Function Virtualization (NFV) and Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC), unlock media industries’ potential by offering high-quality media services through dynamic and efficient resource allocation with low latency. This work presents a multi-site gaming streaming use case implemented over an end-to-end 5G-enabled platform provided by the EU H2020 5G-PPP 5G EVE project. Furthermore, we present the executed use case experiment scenarios to validate the use case performance following a set of defined Quality of Experience(QoE)-related Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). In particular, this paper discusses the design workflow and orchestration of the multi-site gaming streaming use case across two 5G EVE sites (i.e., Spain and Greece), providing a detailed description of the network function applications and resources utilized for the use case. Subsequently, leveraging the 5G EVE monitoring platform, this paper elaborates on the executed experiment scenarios that provide the defined KPI metrics data. Finally, this paper presents, discusses, and analyzes the obtained KPI metrics data results and provides recommendations on future works for these kinds of use cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we design an Anomaly Detection (AD) framework for mobile data traffic, capable of identifying different types of anomalous events generated by flash crowds in metropolitan areas. We state the problem using a semi-supervised approach and exploit the great performance of different Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) models to learn the temporal context of input sequences. Our proposal processes real traffic traces from the unencrypted LTE Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) of an operative network, gathered during an extensive measurement campaign in two major cities in Spain. The AD framework is designed to perform: i) a-posteriori analysis to understand users’ behavior and urban environment variations; ii) real-time analysis to automatically and on-the-fly alert urban anomalies; and iii) estimation of the duration of the periods identified as anomalous. Numerical results show the higher performance of our AD framework compared to classic AD algorithms and confirm that the proposed framework predicts anomalous behaviours with high accuracy and regardless of their cause. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of protons and heavy ions for the treatment of tumors is increasing since it provides a better relative biological effectiveness (RBE) than traditional radiotherapy. Accurate knowledge of the energy deposition at submicrometric scales is paramount for RBE characterization. This paper shows the latest version of the silicon cylindrical microdosimeter array developed by the Instituto de Microelectrónica de Barcelona, Centro Nacional de Microelectrónica (IMB-CNM, Spain). The detector consists of a matrix of $11 \times 11$ cylindrical sensitive unit cells with individual readout etched within the silicon substrate available in different diameters and pitches between detectors. The detector employed in this paper had a diameter of $15~\mu \text{m}$ , a pitch of $200~\mu \text{m}$ , and a thickness of $5.5~\mu \text{m}$. The detectors were tested in the clinical facilities of Fondazione Centro Nazionale di Adronterapia Oncologica (CNAO) (Pavia, Italy) employing a 12C pencil beam at a therapeutic beam fluence rate. Microdosimetric spectra of lineal energy were measured in different depths of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) up to the Bragg peak. Results were then compared with Monte Carlo simulations using the FLUKA particle transport code, showing an excellent agreement between experimental and simulated microdosimetric distributions even at the high fluence rates associated with clinical beams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Banks are the backbone of the financial sector and catalysts in the economic development of any country. Current changes in their global business ecosystem make knowledge of about the fund-supplying and fund-demanding parties of the society a key resource for the fulfillment of banks’ investment and saving functions. This paper addresses the relationship between the performance and a learning culture that is supported by knowledge processes within the organization. Given the relevance of this subject for organizations from most knowledge-intensive domains, this research has focused on the Spanish banking sector. Using a structural equation model, feedback received from 215 employees from 142 individual branches from a major banking institution in Spain is studied. The results of the data analysis show that in addition to maximizing on what is already known about the customer base, employees’ learning about the potential new stakeholders and also about the internal strategies, tools, and techniques is directly related to the bank's performance, which, in turn, influences the economic recovery and socio-economic development. Results support that an active pursuit of learning within the context of the organization is required for banks to remain competitive in the dynamic, global business ecosystem, where international, national, and local banking sectors operate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addressesthe problem of real-time state estimation in European-type four-wire low-voltage distribution networks with advanced metering infrastructure based on power line communication (PLC). The main drawback of this type of infrastructure is its high latency and a sequential data sampling process. Both factors make it difficult to obtain instantaneous values from the smart meters in a timely and adequate manner to estimate the real-time state of the system. This problem may be solved in the future with the deployment of metering systems based on other technologies such as 5G. However, PLC technology prevails in many countries, and is not likely to be replaced in the medium term. In the meantime, a solution is needed to provide acceptable real-time state estimates in low voltage networks, not to hinder the active management of these assets in the context of smart grids. In this work, a solution is proposed that allows estimating the state of the low voltage network with a reasonable accuracy considering the low quality of the measurements provided by the deployed infrastructure. The system is validated using a portion of a real pilot network located in the north of Spain fed by a transformer station with seven feeders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The large penetration of renewable energy resources is demanding additional flexibility for the operation of power systems. In this sense, real world applications are proving that wind power units are able to provide part of the required flexibility. Therefore, these new sources of flexibility need to be considered by power system planners in order to make appropriate generation capacity expansion decisions. This paper proposes a generation and storage capacity expansion formulation considering that wind power units are able to participate in the reserve provision service. The proposed model is a stochastic linear program that is solved using a commercial solver. A case study based on the isolated power system of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura in Spain is solved to quantify the impact of considering the reserve provision of wind power in capacity investment decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

5G is a key tool for the cloud-based wireless production of audio-visual contents. By providing higher throughput and lower latency than previous mobile network technologies, as well as flexible allocation of network resources, it enables that some content production pipelines, which are currently implemented using wired connectivity, are provided on top of a 5G network. This brings down production costs, reduces environmental impact and increases operational efficiency. In particular, live immersive production services, such as free-viewpoint video (FVV), can be provided in a much more efficient way. In this paper, we address the challenge of producing and streaming FVV services in real time through 5G networks. We have adapted a state-of-the-art FVV system to integrate it within a 5G architecture, using three key technological enablers: mmWave radio access network to support the uplink traffic requirements from FVV cameras, multi-access edge computing to run video processing algorithms with minimum latency, and end-to-end slicing to guarantee a sufficient quality of service (QoS) within the production pipeline. We have built a field trial over the production network of a telecommunication operator, including a mmWave pilot deployment, edge cloud processing, and remote content production, involving three different locations across Spain. We have measured the key performance indicators at the relevant parts of our trial deployment, showing that, with existing 5G technology, it is possible to achieve live FVV production, although with some limitations. We have also analyzed such limitations, obtaining some insights on how the next generation of 5G networks can overcome them to achieve higher quality of experience (QoE). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-technical losses (NTL) in electricity utilities are responsible for major revenue losses. In this paper, we propose a novel end-to-end solution to self-learn the features for detecting anomalies and frauds in smart meters using a hybrid deep neural network. The network is fed with simple raw data, removing the need of handcrafted feature engineering. The proposed architecture consists of a long short-term memory network and a multi-layer perceptrons network. The first network analyses the raw daily energy consumption history whilst the second one integrates non-sequential data such as its contracted power or geographical information. The results show that the hybrid neural network significantly outperforms state-of-the-art classifiers as well as previous deep learning models used in NTL detection. The model has been trained and tested with real smart meter data of Endesa, the largest electricity utility in Spain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recently approved regulation about self-consumption in Spain will dramatically change the level of penetration of photovoltaic distributed generation combined with storage devices at residential level in short term. In this paper, we will study the impact of the massive installation of such technologies under the constraints imposed by the new regulation, over the terminal distribution network. As it will be demonstrated, this impact will be drastic in terms of energy demand, voltage profile, and load curves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The five papers in this special section are extended versions of papers presented at the 5th International Conference on Mechatronics (ICM 2009), held in Malaga, Spain in April 2009. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on the highlights of the 2005 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) in Barcelona, Spain. Total attendees at ICRA; ICRA 2005 award winners; IEEE RAS/IFR Entrepreneurs' Workshop and Innovation Awards; Robotics and Automation Society Awards.

In this paper, a new method for prediction of future performance and demand on emergency department (ED) in Spain is presented. Increased life expediency and population aging in Spain, along with their corresponding health conditions such as non-communicable diseases (NCDs), have been suggested to contribute to higher demands on ED. These lead to inferior performance of the department and cause longer ED length of stay (LoS). Prediction and quantification of behavior of ED is, however, challenging as ED is one of the most complex parts of hospitals. Using detailed computational approaches integrated with clinical data behavior of Spain's ED in future years was predicted. First, statistical models were developed to predict how the population and age distribution of patients with non-communicable diseases change in Spain in future years. Then, an agent-based modeling approach was used for simulation of the emergency department to predict impacts of the changes in population and age distribution of patients with NCDs on the performance of ED, reflected in ED LoS, between years 2019 and 2039. Results from different projection scenarios indicated that Spain would experience a continuous increase in total ED LoS from 5.7 million hours in 2019 to 6.2 million hours in 2039 if same human and physical resources, as well as same ED configuration, are used. The results from this study can provide health care provider with quantitative information on required staff and physical resources in the future and allow health care policymakers to improve modifiable factors contributing to the demand and performance of ED. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the configuration, modeling, and control of a fuel cell (FC)-battery-powered hybrid system for the Metro Centro tramway in Seville, Spain. The proposed hybrid system presents a polymer electrolyte membrane FC as the primary energy source and a nickel-metal hydride cell battery as the secondary energy source, which supplements the output of the FC during tramway acceleration or whenever else needed and cruise and for energy recovery during braking. The tramway presents a traction system which is composed of four traction induction motor drives. The hybrid system also supplies the power for the auxiliary services. The power conditioning system is composed of two converters: 1) a boost-type unidirectional dc/dc converter for the FC and 2) a boost-type bidirectional dc/dc converter for the battery. The energy management system (EMS) of the hybrid tramway determines the reference signals for the electric motor drives, FC, and power converters in order to regulate accurately the power from the two electrical sources. EMS also determines the reference signal for energy dissipation in braking chopper when required during regenerative braking. In this paper, the proposed hybrid system is evaluated for the real driving cycle of the tramway. The results demonstrate the hybrid system capability to meet appropriate driving cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper describes a novel healthcare IT platform developed under the LOBIN project, which allows monitoring several physiological parameters, such as ECG, heart rate, body temperature, etc., and tracking the location of a group of patients within hospital environments. The combination of e-textile and wireless sensor networks provides an efficient way to support noninvasive and pervasive services demanded by future healthcare environments. This paper presents the architecture, system deployment as well as validation results from both laboratory tests and a pilot scheme developed with real users in collaboration with the Cardiology Unit at La Paz Hospital, Madrid, Spain. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper focuses on the validation of the empirically corrected total ozone column (TOC) data provided by the Earth Probe Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (EP-TOMS) using ground-based measurements recorded by a well-calibrated Brewer spectroradiometer located at El Arenosillo (Spain). In addition, satellite TOC observations derived from the OzoneMonitoring Instrument (OMI) with the TOMS algorithm are also used in this paper. The agreement between EP-TOMS TOC data and Brewer measurements is excellent (R² ~ 0.92) even for the period 2000-2005 when a higher EP-TOMS instrument degradation occurred. Despite its low magnitude, the EP-TOMS-Brewer relative differences depend on the solar zenith angle (SZA), showing a clear seasonal cycle with amplitude between ±2% and ±4%. Conversely, OMI-Brewer relative differences show a constant negative value around -1% with no significant dependence on SZA. No significant dependence on the ground-based to satellitebased differences with respect to the EP-TOMS scene or to the OMI crosstrack position is observed for either satellite retrieval algorithm. Finally, TOC, estimated by the two satellite instruments, have also been compared, showing a good agreement (R² ~ 0.88). Overall, we conclude that the empirical correction of the EP-TOMS data record provides a reprocessed set of high quality. However, EP-TOMS data after year 2000 should not be used in calculations of global-ozone trending due to remaining errors in the data set and because it is no longer an independent data set. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes and analyzes the Spanish AGC system. The differences with respect to a standard hierarchical structure are explained. A simple model useful for simulation is proposed. Using this model, the performance of the system and the influence of several parameters in system response is evaluated. The paper also suggests some changes in the configuration and parameter settings of the system to improve its performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The penetration level of wind energy is continuously growing, and it is especially relevant in European countries such as Denmark, Germany, and Spain. For this reason, grid codes in different countries have been recently revised, or are now under revision in order to integrate this energy in the network taking into account the security of supply. This paper is related to reactive compensation, which is one aspect usually included in these codes. On the other hand, a great number of installed wind parks are formed by fixed speed wind turbines equipped with induction generators. The typical scheme for reactive compensation in this kind of wind parks is based on capacitor banks locally controlled in each machine. This configuration makes very difficult to follow the requirements of the new grid codes. To overcome this problem, a configuration with a central controller that coordinates the actuation over all the capacitor steps in the wind park is proposed in this paper. A central controller algorithm that is based on a dynamic programming is presented and evaluated by means of simulation. At this time, the proposed scheme has been installed at the Sotavento Experimental Wind Park (Spain) and it is currently being tested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This two-part paper surveys the frequency and voltage control ancillary services in power systems from various parts of the world. In this first part, the nomenclature used to describe active power reserves across 11 systems is first reviewed in order to facilitate the comparison of frequency control ancillary services. The essential technical features of frequency and voltage control ancillary services are then described. Finally, the technical requirements adopted in eight jurisdictions (North America, continental Europe, Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Great Britain) are compared. The companion paper surveys the economic features of these ancillary services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an introduction to the main design features of a computer-aided educational package addressed to students of the final years of Electronic and Computer Engineering is presented. The software includes interrelated tutorial, computer simulations, and test questions in which graphical outputs, hypertexts, and animations are widely used. The package is devoted to the simulation study of electrooptic and acoustooptic theory and devices. It provides instant numerical evaluation and a graphical display of different studies. The software presented in this paper has all the following features: an integrative character, self-evaluation tests, a personalized and active learning process, adaptability to teacher's aims, versatility as a teaching tool, multimedia resources, and simplicity. This study has been completed with final-year students at the Superior Polytechnic School of Cordoba, Spain, with highly favorable results when compared with students who did not use the software. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents some experimental results on the application of signal processing techniques to underwater seismic signals. The novelty of this paper stems from the fact that it is the first paper, to the best of the authors' knowledge, dealing with a comprehensive processing of signals obtained from active refraction seismology. In particular, this paper has adapted known signal processing techniques to problems such as time of arrival detection (TOA), compression, and representation through conventional images (hodocrones) used in underwater seismology. This work is part of a wider project aimed at the design of a small ocean bottom seismometer (OBS) undertaken by several research and development groups in Spain. This sophisticated easy to handle equipment allows recording useful active and passive seismicity information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an approach to determine the optimal daily generation scheduling based on the Spanish electricity market rules. The Spanish power system considers the pool-based daily market and the technical constraints resolution as two different and consecutive processes. After the daily market has been cleared, a centralized constraints resolution process is applied to this initial scheduling through the redispatch of previously matched energy. In this paper, an algorithm based on Benders decomposition, arranged in three levels, is proposed to solve the technical constraints solution process in order to define a preventive secure dispatch. The constraints resolution process includes a full ac network and security model. This method determines the active power committed to each generating unit so as to minimize the energy redispatch cost subject to dispatch, network, and security constraints. The solution also provides the reactive power output of the generating units, the value of the transformers taps, and the committed voltage control devices. The model has been tested in an actual example of the Spanish power system. Some relevant results are reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a probabilistic methodology for estimating the energy costs in the market for wind generators associated with wind prediction errors is proposed. Generators must buy or sell energy production deviations due to prediction errors when they bid in day-ahead or hour-ahead energy markets. The prediction error is modeled through a probability density function that represents the accuracy of the prediction model. Production hourly energy deviations and their associated trading costs are then calculated. Three study cases based on real wind power installations in Spain are analyzed. The three study cases show that the error prediction costs can reach as much as 10% of the total generator energy incomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the undergraduate radar course taught at the Escola Universitària Politècnica del Baix Llobregat (EUPBL) of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), Barcelona, Spain. At present, the EUPBL offers a three-year degree in Technical Telecommunications Engineering. This paper briefly describes the EUPBL, the organization of the degree program, the structure of the radar course, the evaluation methods, and two practical exercises on a sonar demonstrator and a global positioning system kit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tunnels represent strong multipath environments for communications, where wireless propagation differs from regular indoor or outdoor scenarios. Moreover, with an adequate operating frequency choice, a tunnel behaves as an oversized waveguide, extending the communication range but affecting the signal with strong fadings. These fadings have been closely studied in the literature in the longitudinal dimension (tunnel length). Nevertheless, they also occur in the cross section, where they have only been analyzed statistically and on a small scale. In this paper, we present the results from an extensive measuring campaign carried out at the Somport tunnel, in Spain. We have adopted the modal theory approach to analyze the large-scale fadings (also known as slow fadings) in the longitudinal, transversal, and vertical dimensions. More specifically, the modes’ geometry allowed for the adequate placement of transmitters to create different periodic fading structures and to virtually divide the tunnel cross section into sectors, where the fadings presented a phase shift of 180°. This study enabled the development of large-scale spatial diversity schemes and navigation techniques to improve communication and localization inside these scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Minimizing energy consumption in buildings is one of the priorities of the European Union energy strategy. The European legislation has defined a legal framework to determine the energy qualification of a building that is used by each of the member states to define its own energy qualification procedure. This paper presents a methodology to evaluate the effect of climate conditions in the energy qualification procedure. It evaluates the effectiveness of the qualification in representing the yearly energy demand and \CO2 emissions. Moreover, it determines the effects of improvements in different parameters of the procedure (e.g., the construction materials of the enclosure, thermal installations, etc.) in order to improve qualifications. It has been applied to the Spanish legislation using a series of simulations of a typical domestic building, with climatic data from different zones of the Spanish territory. The most significant results are the similarity in the energy certification values obtained in all scenarios and the lack of concordance between the energy rating scale, energy consumption, and \CO2 emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The COVID-19 pandemic presents unprecedented challenges to the healthcare systems around the world. In 2020, Spain was among the countries with the highest Intensive Care Unit (ICU) hospitalization and mortality rates. This work analyzes data of COVID-19 patients admitted to a Spanish ICU during the first wave of the pandemic. The patients in our study either died (deceased patients) or were discharged from the ICU (non-deceased patients) and underwent the following landmarks: beginning of symptoms; arrival at the emergency department; beginning of the hospital stay; and ICU admission. Our goal is to create a graph-based data-science methodology to find associations among patients’ comorbidities, previous medication, symptoms, and the COVID-19 treatment, and to analyze their evolution across landmarks. Towards that end, we first perform a hypothesis test based on bootstrap to identify discriminative features among deceased and non-deceased patients. Then, we leverage graph-based representations and network analytics to determine pairwise associations and complex relations among clinical features. The descriptive statistical analysis confirms that deceased patients exhibit multiple comorbidities with stronger levels of association and are treated with a wider range of drugs during the ICU stay. We also observe that the most common treatment was the simultaneous administration of lopinavir/ritonavir with hydroxychloroquine, regardless of the patients’ outcome. Our results illustrate how graph tools and representations yield insights on the relations among comorbidities, drug treatments, and patients’ evolution. All in all, the approach puts forth a new data-analysis tool for clinicians that can be applied to analyze (post-COVID) symptom/patient evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper shows the results of a survey performed in Spain on the different functionalities of e-learning platforms. This survey was filled in by a group of teachers, experts in engineering education from across Spain, within the scope of the Spanish Chapter of the IEEE Education Society. This paper presents their opinions on several aspects of e-learning functionalities, such as knowledge levels, levels of use, and usefulness, as well as describing the most commonly used platforms. One of the objectives of this work is to create a debate in the international community about the use of e-learning platforms and their main functionalities, the most frequently used standards, the implications for and the levels of support by institutions in their use of e-learning platforms, and in general, their advantages and disadvantages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the application of sliced inverse regression to model the electrochemical process of aluminum smelter plants. Real data measurements obtained during several years in a Spanish industrial environment are used to illustrate the main dependencies between parameters. Nonlinear relations between the output variables and relevant linear combinations of input variables are deduced. An exploratory statistical analysis is also presented, checking for correlations and possible linear dependencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel hybrid approach, combining wavelet transform, particle swarm optimization, and adaptive-network-based fuzzy inference system, is proposed in this paper for short-term electricity prices forecasting in a competitive market. Results from a case study based on the electricity market of mainland Spain are presented. A thorough comparison is carried out, taking into account the results of previous publications. Finally, conclusions are duly drawn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a fault diagnosis method using a timed discrete-event approach based on interval observers that improves the integration of fault detection and isolation tasks. The interface between fault detection and fault isolation considers the activation degree and the occurrence time instant of the diagnostic signals using a combination of several theoretical fault signature matrices that store the knowledge of the relationship between diagnostic signals and faults. The fault isolation module is implemented using a timed discrete-event approach that recognizes the occurrence of a fault by identifying a unique sequence of observable events (fault signals). The states and transitions that characterize such a system can directly be inferred from the relation between fault signals and faults. The proposed fault diagnosis approach has been motivated by the problem of detecting and isolating faults of the Barcelona's urban sewer system limnimeters (level meter sensors). The results obtained in this case study illustrate the benefits of using the proposed approach in comparison with the standard fault detection and isolation approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The level of secondary reserve needed in a power system is traditionally settled by system operators according to engineering criteria. This paper proposes a novel methodology to determine the optimum level of secondary reserve based on both engineering and economic criteria. Within the proposed approach a price elastic-quantity demand curve for the secondary reserve is built. This approach assumes that the provision of secondary reserve is made under a competitive market. In this market, the supply curve that collects the bids from generators providing secondary reserve is matched with the calculated elastic demand cost curve. The cross of the supply and demand curves determines the optimal level of secondary reserve and the price for provision of the service. The developed approach is illustrated with a case study based on the current day-ahead secondary reserve market in Spain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem-based learning (PBL) has proved to be a highly successful pedagogical model in many fields, although it is not that common in computer engineering. PBL goes beyond the typical teaching methodology by promoting student interaction. This paper presents a PBL trial applied to a course in a computer engineering degree at the University of Seville, Spain. To promote the reusability and interoperability of the PBL trial, a design-driven approach was used, based on the Internet protocol Multimedia Subsystems (IMS) Learning Design (LD) standard. This paper presents the outcomes of using this method to innovate teaching practices in a blended learning environment. Design and implementation results, as well as users' opinions, are presented and analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a competitive electricity market, an accurate forecasting of energy prices is an important activity for all the market participants either for developing bidding strategies or for making investment decisions. An adaptive wavelet neural network (AWNN) is proposed in this paper for short-term price forecasting (STPF) in the electricity markets. A commonly used Mexican hat wavelet has been chosen as the activation function for hidden-layer neurons of feed-forward neural network (FFNN). To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, day-ahead prediction of market clearing price (MCP) of Spain market, which is a duopoly market with a dominant player, and locational marginal price (LMP) forecasting in PJM electricity market, are considered. The forecasted results clearly show that AWNN has good prediction properties compared to other forecasting techniques, such as wavelet-ARIMA, multi-layer perceptron (MLP) and radial basis function (RBF) neural networks as well as recently proposed fuzzy neural network (FNN). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces and evaluates BioLab, a tool for teaching biosignal processing. BioLab has been used in the biomedical engineering module that is given in the second semester of the fifth year of the electronic engineering degree at the University of Valencia, Spain. This module and its correspondent curricular pathway are also reviewed. BioLab allows the results obtained with digital processing techniques to be shown interactively in the theory classes, and it also provides support in laboratory sessions. The graphic interface of BioLab simplifies its learning and use and provides access to processing and visualization functions by means of menus. The tool is based on Matlab since the students have had previous experience in this environment. BioLab also supports diverse formats of data files, which facilitate access to real records and their conversion to usable formats. The modular structure of BioLab allows it to be easily extended to other educational materials that are related to signal processing and to research applications. An evaluation of BioLab has revealed that students found it useful for understanding the general concepts of digital processing and biosignal processing in particular. The students also found BioLab very easy to learn and use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the Spanish voltage control ancillary ser- vice is the minimization of the transmission losses while keeping the system away from voltage instability. The latter target can be achieved maintaining an adequate voltage profile in normal operating condition and assuring that generators exhibit enough reactive margins that guarantee that the system voltages will remain under acceptable values in case of contingencies. The service has been designed in Spain to be partially mandatory and partially subject to payment based on market-driven rules and performance evaluation. In the annual time scope, the optional reactive offers submitted by the service suppliers are selected analyzing a number of forecasted scenarios. This paper explains the implementation of the Spanish voltage control ancillary service (VCAS) that is provided by generators in the annual time scope. For this purpose, a mixed-integer linear programming optimal power flow (OPF) is used. Reactive bids of generators are modeled within each scenario by modifying the reactive limits of the generators. The use of the proposed OPF in the assignment of the voltage control ancillary service is explained and illustrated using actual scenarios of the Spanish power system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an efficient method based on a new fuzzy neural network is proposed for short-term price fore- casting of electricity markets. This fuzzy neural network has inter-layer and feed-forward architecture with a new hypercubic training mechanism. The proposed method predicts hourly market-clearing prices for the day-ahead electricity markets. By combination of fuzzy logic and an efficient learning algorithm, an appropriate model for the nonstationary behavior and outliers of the price series is presented. The proposed method is examined on the Spanish electricity market. It is shown that the method can provide more accurate results than the other price forecasting techniques, such as ARIMA time series, wavelet-ARIMA, MLP, and RBF neural networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The solution of power system constraints is an important issue that has to be addressed to achieve a fair operation of a competitive electricity market. In the Spanish electricity market, the System Operator (SO) is in charge of determining the technical feasibility of the generation dispatch provided by the Market Operator (MO). An optimal solution method of power system constraints in the Spanish market must take into account the connection of off-line units to solve both branch overloads and voltage constraints, the adjustment of voltage control resources, the solution of the postulated n-I and n-2 contingencies with a preventive criteria and the coupling of the solution in the 24 hourly scenarios due to the start-up cost of nonconnected units. This paper details the management of power system constraints in the Spanish market, and contains a comprehensive review of solution methods of power system constraints. In addition, the paper proposes a novel approach to solve Spanish power system constraints that overcomes the limitations of existing methods, by decoupling the solution of branch overloads and voltage constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a field measurement campaign developed to study the influence of the special features of a Single Frequency Network (SFN) reception in the C/N thresholds applicable to portable DTV reception. The measurements presented here were performed inside coverage areas of the nation wide SFN which broadcasts DTV (COFDM 8 K mode) services in Spain. The aim of this paper is to present some network planning reference values for portable reception in urban environments where both multipath and multiple transmitter reception have to be taken into account to ensure a good quality of service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the measurement results obtained in an extensive field test campaign developed in two large cities of Spain (Madrid and Bilbao) with the aim of characterizing the portable outdoor reception of digital terrestrial television (COFDM) and continue the studies carried out by the authors during the past years [1], [2]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, experimental broadband propagation measurements in a typical sea port scenario at 5.8 GHz are presented. Measurements were performed in Cádiz Bay, Spain, by sounding the channel with a periodic pulsed signal, from which power delay profiles (PDPs) were estimated for several locations. The study focuses on propagation scenarios based on low-height antenna deployments. Experimental PDPs are found with a spiky shape that can be explained from the nature of the environment. This result is significantly different from the one expected in other regular environments (urban, indoor, etc.) where continuous shaped profiles are common. Furthermore, time-dispersive parameters, such as mean delay, delay spread, and coherence bandwidth, are extracted. The estimated values for mean delay and delay spread remain small, which indicates that the channel can be regarded as flat for typical low-bandwidth signals employed over the sea. In fact, the median value for coherence bandwidth is found to be 8 MHz, hence these channels are suitable to support relatively high data rates by using simple communication systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information about several topics discussed at the 2007 IEEE International Symposium on Intelligent Signal Processing held at Alcalá de Henares in Madrid, Spain in October 3-5 is presented. Topics include mobile robot applications and their interaction with the environment. It also discussed intelligent image analysis and intelligent sensor processing.

The article presents an update on the Antenna Measurement Techniques Association (AMTA) as of April 2010. The association has held its AMTA Europe 2010 event at the Barcelona International Convention Center in Barcelona, Spain. It has also set its deadline for abstract submission for the Technical Program of its AMTA 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia. Information on a paper titled "Accurate Radiation Pattern Measurements in a Time-Reversal Electromagnetic Chamber," published within the issue, is also provided.

The article presents information on the 2004 Workshop on Radiation and its Effects on Components and Systems (RADECS), which was held from September 22-24, 2005 in Madrid, Spain. The special issue of the journal "IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science" contains selected papers from the Workshop. At least three reviewers scrutinized these manuscripts to ensure that all manuscripts were original and represented significant contributions to the literature. A separate proceedings of this RADECS 2004 Workshop contains a complete record of all manuscripts presented orally or via poster.

The article offers an introduction to the paper "Achieving Competence-Based Curricula for Engineering Education in Spain," by Mónica Edwards et al. which appeared within the issue. The paper focuses on the development of a program that is based on a competence-based engineering education curriculum in Spain. A list of core competencies is proposed by the authors in their paper. The authors expect competence to become the defining measure for redesigning future curricula in Spain.

The increasing installed wind power capacity has caused wind power generation to become a significant percentage of the entire electric power generation. As a consequence, the power system operators have included wind power plants regulation to improve the control of the overall power system, both in steady-state and transient operation. Therefore, wind power systems are required to verify the grid connection requirements stated by the power system operators. In presence of grid voltage dips, the low voltage ride-through (LVRT) requirement compliance produces a mismatch between the generated active power and the active power delivered to the grid. The conventional solution assumes that the active power surplus is dissipated in a dc-link resistor. In this paper, a control scheme for the back-to-back neutral-point-clamped converter is proposed. Under grid voltage dip, the controllers for generator-side and grid-side converters work concurrently to meet the LVRT requirement by storing the active power surplus in the turbine-generator mechanical system inertia while keeping constant the dc-link voltage. Simulation and experimental results verify the proposed control scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Building density information plays an essential role in the design, planning, and management of modern cities. This paper presents an automated approach to urban analysis using airborne laser scanner data to derive geometric information (heights, areas, and volumes) and urban density attributes (building coverage ratio and floor area ratio) of buildings, land lots, and urban units. In particular, four urban units are analyzed in the city of Avila, Spain, which has experienced considerable growth in recent years. The urban map and building density results are used to validate the utility of the automated method with respect to cadastral data and applicable regulations (Urban Land Law, 2008, and Urban Regulation General Plan, 2005). The algorithms for these operations are implemented in the Spatial Analyst ArcGIS extension module. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Although the literature on environmental sustainability is rapidly increasing, many studies suggest that this problem needs to be dealt with by considering a broader perspective, i.e., supply chains. In this paper, we put forward the idea that different practices for greening suppliers can be combined to shape different green supply management (GSM) strategies. More specifically, the following research questions are posed. 1) How do firms combine managerial practices to form GSM strategies? 2) What are the variables that affect this decision? 3) What are the results of the different GSM strategies? Drawing on a survey among Spanish firms, we performed a cluster analysis that identified three main GSM strategies. In the second step, we contrasted these clusters using environmental drivers, context, and performance variables. The results show that there are several approaches to “greening” the supply chain, with different results and company profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The 8th Therminic Workshop was held in Madrid, Spain, from October 1-4, 2002. Therminic is spon sored by the IEEE Computer Society Test Technology Technical Council and TIMA Laboratory in cooperation with the IEEE Components, Packaging, and Manufacturing Technology Society, and the European Test Technology Technical Committee. From the 80 submissions the Program Committee selected this year 33 for oral presentation and 39 for poster presentation. The Workshop had over 90 participants from 22 countries. Proceedings have been distributed among the participants and copies are available from TIMA.

Automatic dialect classification has emerged as an important area in the speech research field. Effective dialect classification is useful in developing robust speech systems, such as speech recognition and speaker identification. In this paper, two novel algorithms are proposed to improve dialect classification for text-independent spontaneous speech in Arabic and Spanish languages, along with probe results for Chinese. The problem considers the case where no transcripts but dialect labels are available for training and test data, and speakers are speaking spontaneously, which is defined as text-independent dialect classification. The Gaussian mixture model (GMM) is used as the baseline system for text-independent dialect classification. The major motivation is to suppress confused/distractive regions from the dialect language space and emphasize discriminative/sensitive information of the available dialects. In the training phase, a symmetric version of the Kullback–Leibler divergence is used to find the most discriminative GMM mixtures (KLD-GMM), where the confused acoustic GMM region is suppressed. For testing, the more discriminative frames are detected and used via the location of where the frames are in the GMM mixture feature space, which is termed frame selection decoding (FSD-GMM). The first KLD-GMM and second FSD-GMM techniques, are shown to improve dialect classification performance for three-way dialect tasks. The two algorithms and their combination are evaluated on dialects of Arabic and Spanish corpora. Measurable improvement is achieved in both two cases, over a generalized maximum-likelihood estimation GMM baseline (MLE-GMM). [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

ac-powered contactors are extensively used in industry in applications such as automatic electrical devices, motor starters, and heaters. In this work, a practical session that allows students to model and simulate the dynamic behavior of ac-powered electromechanical contactors is presented. Simulation is carried out using a rigorous parametric model of the ac contactor that avoids simplification assumptions and is thoroughly explained. The goal of this practical is to introduce students to the topic of dynamic simulation of real devices. It covers both the transient and the steady-state response of the electromechanical system under study. The proposed methodology is flexible and not particularly time-consuming, and it allows the students easily to change the electromechanical constants of the contactor they are studying. The results of the simulations were compared with experimental data acquired by the students; a close similarity between real and simulated data was observed. The Technical University of Catalonia (UPC), Spain, has incorporated the simulation methodology proposed in this paper in a practical session of an electrical engineering course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the last few years, the number of university students choosing to follow engineering degrees has decreased dramatically in Spain. For that reason, several university departments, in collaboration with some high schools, have developed a range of activities in order to promote a higher enrollment rate, to improve the level of mathematics and physics that students have when entering university, to explode the myth of engineering degrees being difficult studies not within everyone's reach, and to rationalize the curricula of engineering degrees, coordinating all their courses and directing them toward the global objectives of the degree. In this paper, the results of an Outreach Project for Engineering Education (OPEE) comprising four successful activities developed over the last decade at the Higher Technical School of the University of Cordoba, Spain, are reported. Most important is that in the face of the significant decrease of the amount of engineering first-year students observed in Spain in general, and Cordoba in particular, enrollment in the Higher Technical School of the University of Cordoba has remained constant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores both how male and female high school pupils (15-16 years old) perceive the engineering profession and their willingness to pursue a career in this area. A study was performed around a one-day outreach activity, Girls' Day, organized for the first time in Spain. During Girls' Day, students were exposed to specific activities developed for them in engineering research labs and companies, carried out by young female researchers and professionals. The study, based on two questionnaires answered before and after the activity, focuses on the differences between groups of female and male students having differing degrees of interest in studying engineering. The educational level of mothers, the presence of engineers in families, and perceived family support emerged as important factors influencing the probability of a young person's considering pursuing engineering studies. Nevertheless, the need to expose children to outreach activities at a younger age and to involve the students' families and teachers has become clear. If planned properly and thoughtfully, even a single day's experience can contribute to changing the perception of what an engineer is. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to describe and assess a new characterization and classification method of voltage dips. The proposed method allows us to classify multistage and real voltage dips when measurement errors or transients are present in the recorded data. Different real voltage dips are used to assess this method, comparing the results with previous approaches. For visualization purposes, a voltage-space vector representation is introduced in order to clarify the global voltage dip evolution along the time. The classification of all the voltage dips, measured from a one-year field measurement campaign in wind farms located in the Spanish region of Castilla-La Mancha, is also presented and characterized according to the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studying fundamental Computer Architecture and Organization topics requires a significant amount of practical work if students are to acquire a good grasp of the theoretical concepts presented in classroom lectures or textbooks. The use of simulators is commonly adapted in order to reach this objective. However, as most of the available educational simulators focus on specific topics, different laboratory assignments usually require the use of different simulators. This paper presents a graphical and interactive reduced instruction set computer (RISC) processor and memory simulator that allows active learning of some theoretical concepts covered in Computer Architecture and Organization courses. The simulator can be configured to present different processor views, from a simple serial one, without caches or pipelines, to a more realistic one with caches and superscalar execution. This approach allows a set of increasingly complex code-based laboratory assignments to be developed using a single simulator, covering topics ranging from assembly language programming to the analysis (If the different kind of cache misses, pipeline hazards or branch prediction hits and misses produced during a program execution. The simulator has been included in a an automatic assessment system that helps the students to complete the assignments and helps teachers to evaluate the correctness of the students solutions in different environments, such as high-enrollment courses or distance education. Since 1996, both the simulator and the automatic assessment system have been successfully used by more than 5000 students in Computer Architecture and Organization courses at the Technical University of Madrid (UPM), Spain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research presented in this paper shows how lab work can be organized into three phases: prelab, lab, and postlab, all supported by a Web-based experimental portal and a set of tools, some of which are connected to real lab devices. Different on-line tools and simulators are used in a flexible and configurable way that can be adapted to student curricula and course needs. This scenario is based upon real cases in distance learning courses in the Industrial Engineering School at the Universidad Nacional de Educación (The Spanish Open University), Madrid, Spain. The details of the combined real and simulated activities are discussed and some conclusions and lessons learned from this work are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Surface Processes and Ecosystem Changes Through Response Analysis (SPECTRA) Barrax Campaigns were validation campaigns developed in the framework of the SPECTRA mission in order to verify that the geophysical data products provided by satellite imagery are consistent with the measurements made by independent means. Two campaigns took place in Barrax, Spain, during the summers of 2003 and 2004. This paper presents the results of the characterization of the atmospheric composition from solar radiation, radiosoundings, and lidar measurements. Several potentially interesting situations involving atmospheric layers with different types of aerosols and water content are discussed. The presence of a residual layer capping the mixing layer during some days of the 2003 campaign and the arrival of a dust-rich air mass from the Sahara on the last two days of the 2004 campaign provide some relevant aerosol vertical profiles to test atmospheric correction algorithms. The study of the effects of these atmospheric situations on radiative transfer calculations is required in the development and validation of advanced atmospheric correction codes for the new generation of Earth Observation Systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes a multimedia approach to the efficient implementation and use of emergency plans using the subway system of Valencia, Spain as an example. Metro Valencia is the public company that manages the railway transportation in the Valencia metropolitan area. In 1998, the Metro Valencia Safety Office began developing a system to improve its emergency plan. The Hypermedia Emergency Plan has been operational since June 2000 at the Metro Valencia's Traffic Control Office. Without the Hypermedia plan, emergency procedures are carried out manually. Its advent has greatly streamlined the execution of emergency procedures. Currently, when an emergency occurs, the safety manager interacts with the hypermedia plan instead of the paper-based plan. The solution is applicable to other public service organizations like hotels, stadiums, theaters and even whole cities in case of natural disasters. Although every situation is different, and many specific details must be taken into account, systems supporting emergency management must fulfill two basic requirements. First, they must provide multimedia storage and delivery. Second, they must support advanced, workflow-like navigation of the available information. Based on the experience gathered from the Valencia project, a number of issues have been identified that need attention and further research before safety-oriented systems are widely used. These are process, presentation, information management and retrieval, communication, collaboration and intelligence.

Presents information on the ICDL 2022 Conference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the VI Spanish National Plan for Scientific R+D+I for the 2008-2011 period. The plan raises the budget to 48 billion pesos, which is double the investment for the 2003-2007 period. The structure of the new plan is based on the definition of the six instrumental lines of projects, human resources, infrastructures, institutional strengthening, internationalization of the system, and articulation. Spain hopes to promote continuous training within the area of mobility and knowledge or engineers and researchers.

The article describes the author's experience with an Internet subscription service in Madrid, Spain. Topics include: the author's frustration with having to enter so much information on the service's web page; the arrangement for purchasing time on and gaining access to the Internet; the problem of a forgotten password for the PayPal account that is complicated by the use of a different credit card on an existing account; and three lessons learned from this experience that relate to the subscriber's convenience and a website's design and usability.

This is the fourth article in the series of eight, opened in September and published monthly in the Global Communications Newsletter, which covers all areas of IEEE ComSoc Member Relations. In this series of articles, I introduce the seven Member Relations Directors (namely: Sister and Related Societies; Membership Programs Development; AP, NA, LA, EAME Regions; Marketing and Industry Relations) and the Chair of the Women in Communications Engineering (WICE) Standing Committee. In each article, one by one they present their activities and plans. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Remote spectral imaging of coastal areas can provide valuable information for their sustainable management and conservation of their biodiversity. Unfortunately, such areas are very sensitive to changes due to human activity, natural phenomenon, introduction of non-native species, and climate change. Thus, the main objective of this research is the implementation of a robust image processing methodology to produce accurate bathymetry maps in shallow coastal waters using high-resolution multispectral WorldView-2/3 satellite imagery for the monitoring at the maximum spatial and spectral resolutions. Two different island ecosystems have been selected for the assessment, since they stand out for their richness in endemic species and they are more vulnerable to climate change: Cabrera National Park and Maspalomas Natural Protected area, located in the Balearic and Canary Islands, Spain, respectively. In addition, a third example to show the applicability of the mapping methodology to monitor the construction of a new port in Granadilla (Canary Islands) is presented. Contributions of this work focus on improving the preprocessing methodology and, mainly, on the proposal and assessment of new satellite-derived regression and machine learning bathymetric models, which have been validated and compared with respect to measured reference bathymetry. After a thorough analysis of nine techniques, using visual and quantitative statistical parameters, ensemble learning approaches have demonstrated excellent performance, even in challenging scenarios up to 35-m depth, with mean RMSE values around 2 m. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contribution: This article explores the factors favoring the enrollment in engineering studies in Spain, analyzing gender differences. Background: Understanding the motivation of choosing engineering studies is very important in order to strengthen this choice in future promotions in Spain, considering that it is well below the average of the European Union at the present time. Research Questions: What are the main factors that influence students to choose engineering studies? Are there any noticeable differences between those affecting male and female students? Methodology: Data were collected from a survey completed by 624 students and an exploratory study was performed extracting five components. Independent sample $T$ -tests were used to determine significant differences between the answers of males and females. Findings: The factors found in the exploratory analysis were “Interest and development,” “Career advice and previous contact,” “Outcome expectations,” “Social influences” and “Not preferred option.” Significant differences between the answers given by males and females were also found. The outcome of this study is important for the development of new interventions aimed to increase interest, enrollment, and retention of engineering students, especially among females. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Controlled-source electromagnetic (CSEM) measurements are complementary data for magnetotelluric (MT) characterization although its methodology on land is not sufficiently developed and tested as in marine environments. Acquiring expertise in CSEM is crucial for surveys in places where MT cannot be performed due to high levels of cultural noise. To acquire that expertise, we perform CSEM experiments in the Vallès fault [Northeast (NE), Spain], where MT results have been satisfactory and allow us to verify the CSEM results. The Vallès basin is relevant for potential heat generation because of the presence of several geothermal anomalies and its nearby location in urban areas. In this article, we present the experimental setup for that region, a 2-D joint MT+CSEM inverse model, several 3-D CSEM simulations in the presence of metallic casing, and its comparison with real data measurements. We employ a parallel and high-order vector finite element algorithm to discretize the governing equations. By using an adapted meshing strategy, different scenarios are simulated to study the influence of the source position/direction and the conductivity model in a metallic casing presence. An excellent agreement between the simulated data and analytical/real field data demonstrates the feasibility of study metallic structures in realistic configurations. Our numerical results confirm that metallic casing strongly influences electromagnetic (EM) responses, making surface measurements more sensitive to resistivity variations near the metallic structure. It could be beneficial getting higher signal-to-noise ratios and sensitivity to deep targets. However, such a casing effect depends on the input model (e.g., conductivity contrasts, frequency, and geometry). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2021 Nations League Cup Final was a soccer/football match played between France and Spain. It was settled by a goal scored by a player who was in an offside position when a ball was passed toward him by his teammate, but was not penalized because in its trajectory, the ball scraped the studs of an opponent trying to intercept the ball. According to FIFA’s laws of the game “A player in an offside position receiving the ball from an opponent who deliberately plays the ball, $\ldots $ is not considered to have gained an advantage” and therefore has not caused an offside offense. The goal was allowed to stand, and France duly won the match, and the cup, with this the winning goal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A database of global, cloud-free, and atmospheric radiosounding profiles was compiled with the aim of simulating radiometric measurements from satellite-borne sensors in the thermal infrared. The objective of the simulated data is to generate split-window (SW) and dual-angle (DA) algorithms for the retrieval of land surface temperature (LST) from Terra/Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Envisat/Advanced Along Track Scanning Radiometer (AATSR) data. The database contains 382 radiosounding profiles acquired over land, with nearly uniform distribution of precipitable water between 0.02 and 5.5 cm. Radiative transfer calculations were performed with the MODTRAN 4 code for six viewing angles between 0° and 60°. The resulting radiance spectra were convoluted with the response filter functions of MODIS bands 31 and 32 and AATSR channels at 11 and 12 μm. By using the simulation database, the SW algorithms adapted for MODIS and AATSR data and the DA algorithms for AATSR data were developed. Both types of algorithms are quadratic in the brightness temperature difference and depend explicitly on the land surface emissivity. The SW and DA algorithms were validated with actual ground measurements of LST collected concurrently to MODIS and AATSR observations in a site located close to the city of Valencia, Spain, in a large, flat, and thermally homogeneous area of rice crops. The results obtained have no bias and a standard deviation around ±0.5 K for the SW algorithms at nadir for both sensors. The SW algorithm used in the forward view results in a bias of 0.6 K and a standard deviation of ±0.8 K. The worst results are obtained in the other algorithms with a bias close to -1.0 K and a standard deviation close to ±1.1 K in the case of the DA algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the Schumann resonance (SR) variations, obtained in the extreme low frequency (ELF) signal observatory of Sierra de Filabres belonging to the University of Almería Spain, in operation since 2011. This station has two large and sensitive orthogonal sensors operating between 1 and 100 Hz. A 24 bit low-noise, high-resolution system processes the signal. The Sierra de Filabres ELF station is operating to offer valuable information on SRs’ activity in this area. This system allows us to have a broader range of comparison patterns to study correlations with other phenomena. The information presented in this work deals with the diurnal and seasonal variations of the first six modes of the SRs in 2016 and 2017. The graphs have been obtained through Lorentzian functions. We explain the diurnal variation based on the position and distance to the most important lightning hotspots and demonstrate its relation with the first mode captured in our observatory. We introduce a new yearly evolution method based on the resonance frequency through the most representative lightning activity hours in one year. This article is supported by the comparison between our signals and the global thunderstorm center’s activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents the field trials and coverage measurements carried out in the terrestrial digital audio broadcasting network in Spain. Parameters obtained characterizing the propagation channel for urban environments; Evaluation of the propagation radio channel for the network; Calculation of the standard deviation of the field strength levels.

Discusses provisions incorporated by the Spanish wholesale electricity market in taking into account thermal plant running requirements. Effect of the market clearing algorithm; Implementation of the minimum income condition payment versus cost minimization; Description of the Spanish wholesale electricity market.

The papers in this special issue were presented at the 2011 RADECS (Radiation Effects on Component and Systems) Conference that was held September 19-23, 2011, in Sevilla, Spain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on several conferences of the Antenna Measurement Techniques Association (AMTA) as of February 2010. The annual meeting and symposium was held at Little America in Salt Lake City, Utah in November 2009 during which lectures on antenna measurement have been presented including one by lecturer Doren Hess. The AMTA Europe 2010 will be held at the Barcelona International Convention Center in Spain. The AMTA 2010 symposium will be held at the Westin Peachtree Plaza in Atlanta, Georgia.

Reports on the attendance in the International Federation for Information Processing sponsored by the World Computer Congress in Madrid, Spain from September 7 to 11, 1992. Factors that contributed to the low-industry turnout on the conference; Topics included in the symposia; Research papers presented at the conference.

This article evaluates the effect of the double-bounce (DB) decorrelation term that appears in single-pass bistatic acquisitions, as in the TanDEM-X system, on the inversion of scene parameters by means of polarimetric SAR interferometry (PolInSAR). The retrieval of all scene parameters involved in the Random Volume over Ground (RVoG) model (i.e., ground topography, vegetation height, extinction, and ground-to-volume ratios) is affected by this term when the radar response from the ground is dominated by the DB. The estimation error in all these parameters is analyzed by means of simulations over a wide range of system configurations and scene variables for both agricultural crops and forest scenarios. Simulations demonstrate that the inclusion of the DB term, which complicates the inversion algorithm, is necessary for the angles of incidence shallower than 30° to achieve an estimation error below 10% in vegetation height and to avoid a significant underestimation in the ground-to-volume ratios. At steep incidences, this decorrelation term does not affect the estimation of vegetation height and ground-to-volume ratios. Regarding the extinction, this parameter is intrinsically not well estimated, since most retrieved values are close to the initial guesses employed for the optimization algorithm, regardless of the use or not of the DB decorrelation term. Finally, these findings are compared with the experimental results from the TanDEM-X data acquired over the rice fields in Spain for the available system parameters (baseline and incidence angle) of the acquired data set. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On April 15,2010, an unusual natural phenomenon turned the world upside down. The Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull, dormant for 200 years, started to erupt, melting ice and sending ashes into the high atmosphere. This huge mass of ash forced the cancellation of many flights and disrupted air traffic across northern Europe, stranding thousands of passengers, and provoking one of the worst airspace crises ever. The airport of Barcelona, Spain, like most European airports, could not escape from this closure, and many tourists and businessmen were stuck for some days at the Catalan metropolis. “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade” said someone. This was the thought of many delegates of the fourth edition of the European Conference on Antennas and Propagation, which took place from April 12-16, 2010, at the Barcelona International Convention Center (CCIB). Many of them decided to take some extra days to visit the city. Others, less lucky, rediscovered the old days of slow traveling, and with wise combinations of bus, train, and boats were able to travel to as far as Helsinki, Finland. However, all will remember EuCAP'2010 not only for its unusual ending, but mainly for the quality and demonstrated success of the conference. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article presents an overview of the 8th European Workshop on Radiation and its Effects on Components and Systems, which was held from September 19-23, 2004, at the CIEMAT facilities in Madrid, Spain. More than 210 participants from 26 countries all over the world attended this workshop. A total of 58 papers were presented in this workshop. The attendees also had the possibility to use the breaks to visit the industrial exhibition, composed of nine booths with a good representation of the different sectors, which involved component manufacturers, service providers, etc.

The Fourth Conference on Telematics Engineering (JITEL) took place in Gran Canaria, Spain from September 15-17, 2003. Previous celebrations of this conference took place in Bilbao in 1997, Leganés, Madrid, in 1999 and Barcelona in 2001. JITEL is the flagship meeting of Spanish researchers and industry experts on the following topics: network design and interconnection, distributed platforms and network management, agents and active networks, access networks, traffic models and control, mobile and wireless communications etc.

Together with the continuous development of passive microwave surface soil moisture (SSM) products from newly launched satellites, it is necessary to perform reliable validations to assess their accuracy. With this aim, a new “bottom-up” validation approach is proposed based on the synergistic use of in situ SSM measurements from the soil moisture measurement station network (REMEDHUS) of the University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain, and optical/thermal infrared observations over 18 cloud-free days from Landsat-8. An SSM estimation method using the boundary information from the land surface temperature and normalized difference vegetation index triangle space was developed for regional SSM mapping. The retrieved SSM reached a relatively good performance (mean $\text{R}^{2}$ and root-mean-squared error of 0.64 and 0.033 $\text{m}^{3}/\text{m}^{3}$ , respectively). Then, the regional SSM was aggregated into the grid-cell scale of the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2) L3 high-resolution (0.1° /10 km) soil moisture product to validate it both at network and grid-cell levels. At the network level, the derived regional SSM showed a good agreement with the averaged in situ measurements over the network ($R = 0.731$). However, at the grid-cell level, small variations were observed for the cells over the network between the estimates and the AMSR2 product, with negative biases (−0.044 to $-0.090~\text{m}^{3}/\text{m}^{3}$) and positive correlations ($R > 0.25$) for most cells. In addition, it is shown that the descending product has a slightly better performance than does the ascending one. The preliminary assessments suggested that the proposed method provides new insights into the validation of passive microwave soil moisture products, while avoiding the common issue related to the big disparity in spatial scales between satellite observation and in situ measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Merit order of renewable generation has produced an increasing, relevant number of zero values in Spanish electricity spot prices since 2010, in contrast with the rest of markets which rarely present zero values. This letter shows that existing methodologies for normalizing the price distribution fail to yield a proper normalization. This letter proposes a new algorithm based on Nataf transformation which addresses this issue and ensures a correct normalization. Numerical results validate the proposed algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A call for papers on biomedical imaging, to be presented at ISBI 2012 in Barcelona, Spain on May 2 to 5, is presented.

The Ministry of Industry announced in February 2010 [1] a plan to collect between ϵ1500 and ϵ2000 million with the auction of new frequency bands for mobile telephony. The bid for a total of 310 MHz in different frequency bands will be done by a mixed formula: 90 percent through auctions and 10 percent by competition. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Using multimodal sentiment analysis, the presented method integrates linguistic, audio, and visual features to identify sentiment in online videos. In particular, experiments focus on a new dataset consisting of Spanish videos collected from YouTube that are annotated for sentiment polarity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology provides an effective tool for managing traceability along food supply chains. This is because it allows automatic digital registration of data, and therefore reduces errors and enables the availability of information on demand. A complete traceability system can be developed in the wine production sector by joining this technology with the use of wireless sensor networks for monitoring at the vineyards. A proposal of such a merged solution for a winery in Spain has been designed, deployed in an actual environment, and evaluated. It was shown that the system could provide a competitive advantage to the company by improving visibility of the processes performed and the associated control over product quality. Much emphasis has been placed on minimizing the impact of the new system in the current activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the highlights of the III International Conference on Digital Citizenship which was held in San Sebastian, Spain on May 8 and 9, 2012. Among the speakers were Paul Mockapetris, inventor of the domain name system (DNS), and Matt Barrie, chief executive of Freelancer.com. The conference featured events to help participants to go further into certain aspects of the new network-society in which people live.

AeroMACS is a system currently under development for airport surface communications. It is based on the IEEE802.16-2009 standard, and is developed in cooperation with the WiMAX forum. The frequency band allocated to AeroMACS is 5091–5150 MHz. When specifying the AeroMACS system, knowledge of typical propagation conditions at airports is of importance. Typically, path loss models are used to estimate the range of a transmitter within different zones of the airport, and typically fading characteristics are used to estimate the performance of, e.g., the selected coding and modulation schemes. Propagation measurements have been performed at the Barajas airport in Madrid, Spain. The measurements includes Non-Line-Of-Sight (NLOS) as well as Line-Of-Sight (LOS) conditions. Based on these measurements, path loss parameters and path loss models are developed for different zones of large airports. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A test bench has been developed for the magnetic measurements on the Phase Shifters for E-XFEL. It will be part of the Spanish in-kind contribution to this new research facility. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

An analysis of the sensitivity of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) backscatter (σo) to crop and soil conditions was conducted using 57 RADARSAT-2 C-band quad-polarized SAR images acquired from April to September 2009 for large fields of wheat, barley, oat, corn, onion, and alfalfa in Barrax, Spain. Preliminary results showed that the cross-polarized σHVo was particularly useful for monitoring both crop and soil conditions and was the least sensitive to differences in beam incidence angle. The greatest separability of barley, corn, and onion occurred in spring after the barley had been harvested or in the narrow time window associated with grain crop heading when corn and onion were still immature. The time series of σo offered reliable information about crop growth stage, such as jointing and heading in grain crops and leaf growth and reproduction in corn and onion. There was a positive correlation between σo and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index for onion and corn but not for all crops, and the impact of view direction and incidence angle on the time series was minimal compared to the signal response to crop and soil conditions. Related to planning for future C-band SAR missions, we found that quad-polarization with image acquisition frequency from 3-6 days was best suited for distinguishing crop types and for monitoring crop phenology, single- or dual-polarization with an acquisition frequency of 3-6 days was sufficient for mapping crop green biomass, and single- or dual-polarization with daily image acquisition was necessary to capture rapid changes in soil moisture condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article traces the entry of the International Telephone and Telegraph Corp. (ITT) into the communication market in Spain and its aftermath. In June 1920, ITT was established by Sosthenes and Hernand Behn to boost the value of their shares in the Porto Rico Telephone Co. and Cuban Telephone Co. The April 1924 visit of Behn to Spain was aimed at obtaining the Spanish telephone system. ITT is cited as the real owner of Compañía Telefónica Nacional de Españ (CTNE).

In this work, we compare two commercial positron emission tomography (PET) scanners installed at CIEMAT (Madrid, Spain): the ClearPET and the rPET-1. These systems have significant geometrical differences, such as the axial field of view (110 mm on ClearPET versus 45.6 mm on rPET-1), the configuration of the detectors (whole ring on ClearPET versus one pair of planar blocks on rPET-1) and the use of an axial shift between ClearPET detector modules. We used an assessment procedure that fulfilled the recommendations of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) NU 4-2008 standard. The methodology includes studies of spatial resolution, sensitivity, scatter fraction, count losses and image quality. Our experiments showed a central spatial resolution of 1.5 mm (transaxial), 3.2 mm (axial) for the ClearPET and 1.5 mm (transaxial), 1.6 mm (axial) for the rPET-1, with a small variation across the transverse axis on both scanners (\sim1 mm). The absolute sensitivity at the centre of the field of view was 4.7% for the ClearPET and 1.0% for the rPET-1. The peak noise equivalent counting rate for the mouse-sized phantom was 73.4 kcps reached at 0.51 MBq/mL on the ClearPET and 29.2 kcps at 1.35 MBq/mL on the rPET-1. The recovery coefficients measured using the image quality phantom ranged from 0.11 to 0.89 on the ClearPET and from 0.14 to 0.81 on the rPET-1. The overall performance shows that both the ClearPET and the rPET-1 systems are very suitable for preclinical research and imaging of small animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TerraSAR-X (TSX) dual-polarized synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data from a test site in Spain have been investigated to determine the relationship between forest burn severity and SAR backscatter. The role of the local incidence angle on the backscatter coefficient has been also studied. Burn severity was estimated by means of composition burn index plots and the remotely sensed differenced normalized burn ratio index. To infer the potential of the TSX data for burn severity assessment, the determination coefficients obtained from linear regression analysis have been used. At horizontal transmit horizontal receive (HH) polarization, backscatter increased for slopes oriented toward the sensor and areas affected by high burn severity, whereas, at horizontal transmit vertical receive (HV) polarization, higher backscatter occurred for slopes oriented away from the sensor in areas of low burn severity. The dependence of the backscatter coefficient on topography for areas affected by forest fire has been confirmed. The HH backscatter presented a clear descending trend with the increase in local incidence angle, whereas the HV backscatter presented an ascending trend. The determination coefficients showed that, at HH polarization, better estimates of burn severity are obtained at low local incidence angles, whereas, for HV polarization, the best estimates are obtained at high local incidence angles. The dual-polarized X-band SAR data showed potential for burn severity estimation in the Mediterranean environment if local incidence angle is accounted for. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]