Open University of Catalonia

About: Open University of Catalonia is a education organization based out in Barcelona, Spain. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Collaborative learning & Educational technology. The organization has 1943 authors who have published 4646 publications receiving 64200 citations. The organization is also known as: Universitat Oberta de Catalunya & UOC.

Learning processes during regime shifts: Empirical evidence from the diffusion of greywater recycling in Spain

Abstract: The water supply paradigm in urban Catalonia has experienced a significant transformation toward water decentralization since the approval in 2002 of the first ordinance on water conservation. Local water ordinances make mandatory the installation of rainwater harvesting and greywater reuse systems in new buildings. By 2012, about 50 municipalities in Catalonia had approved similar regulations. This paper analyzes the avenues and limits of the evolution and regionalization of the transition and focuses on the various types of learning that the adoption of greywater reuse systems has triggered in the Barcelona area. During the take-off of the technology, greywater reuse systems were relatively rudimentary but later on, membrane technologies gained popularity which facilitated a more widespread use and acceptance of the technology. The cooperation of the main actors involved in this water transition has been instrumental to move the transition forward but more efforts at the regional level are still required.

On the suitability of the 433MHz band for M2M low-power wireless communications: propagation aspects

Abstract: The 433MHz band is gaining relevance as an alternative to the 2.4GHz band for machine-to-machine communications using low-power wireless technologies. Currently, two standards are being developed that use the 433MHz band, DASH7 Mode 2 and IEEE802.15.4f. The article presents propagation models based on measurements conducted at the 433MHz and 2.4GHz bands that can be used for link budget calculations in both outdoor and indoor environments depending on node height. The results obtained show that the 433MHz band has a larger communication range in both indoor and outdoor environments despite the negative effects of having a larger Fresnel zone. In addition, indoor propagation measurements are conducted in line-of-sight and nonline-of-sight conditions to determine the suitability of channel hopping to combat the effects of multipath propagation. Contrary to the 2.4GHz band, the results show that channel hopping at 433MHz does not provide any link robustness advantage because the channel coherence bandwidth is larger than the whole band bandwidth, and thus, all channels are highly correlated. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A BRILS metaheuristic for non-smooth flow-shop problems with failure-risk costs

Abstract: Our approach of PFSP includes risk of machine failures due to lack of breaks.We model the problem as a non-smooth optimization problem.We propose the use of a biased-randomized algorithm to solve it.We combine Iterated Local Search with biased randomization of classical heuristics.Our approach outperforms other approaches just based on the makespan. This paper analyzes a realistic variant of the Permutation Flow-Shop Problem (PFSP) by considering a non-smooth objective function that takes into account not only the traditional makespan cost but also failure-risk costs due to uninterrupted operation of machines. After completing a literature review on the issue, the paper formulates an original mathematical model to describe this new PFSP variant. Then, a Biased-Randomized Iterated Local Search (BRILS) algorithm is proposed as an efficient solving approach. An oriented (biased) random behavior is introduced in the well-known NEH heuristic to generate an initial solution. From this initial solution, the algorithm is able to generate a large number of alternative good solutions without requiring a complex setting of parameters. The relative simplicity of our approach is particularly useful in the presence of non-smooth objective functions, for which exact optimization methods may fail to reach their full potential. The gains of considering failure-risk costs during the exploration of the solution space are analyzed throughout a series of computational experiments. To promote reproducibility, these experiments are based on a set of traditional benchmark instances. Moreover, the performance of the proposed algorithm is compared against other state-of-the-art metaheuristic approaches, which have been conveniently adapted to consider failure-risk costs during the solving process. The proposed BRILS approach can be easily extended to other combinatorial optimization problems with similar non-smooth objective functions.

New speakers and processes of new speakerness across time and space

Abstract: The theorizing and conceptualization of the new speaker label first emerged from discussions amongst a small group of researchers working on some of Europe’s lesser-used languages including Catalan (Pujolar 2007; Pujolar and Gonzàlez 2013), Galician (O’Rourke and Ramallo 2011 and O’Rourke and Ramallo 2013) and Irish (O’Rourke 2011). These are languages which were revitalized with some measure of success as a result of more favourable language policies, but which faced the consequent problem of social differentiation between firstand second-language speakers, and tensions over ownership of and legitimate language rights. While these problems have often tended to be unforeseen by language advocates and policymakers, they have been encountered so often in different minority language revitalization contexts, that there came to be an underlying recognition amongst many researchers, that they should be theorized and examined more schematically. This discussion was extended to include other minority languages in Europe such as Breton, Occitan, Manx and Corsican, leading to a full special issue relating to new speakers of minority languages (see O’Rourke et al. 2015). In all these contexts, there was a growing awareness amongst sociolinguists and policy makers that the success of language revitalization initiatives was having contradictory and paradoxical effects within the community. These effects were based on long-held assumptions and ideologies about language, identity and authenticity in which the concept of the “native speaker” played a pivotal role. The airing of the new speaker label as a research concept at international fora also led to connections with scholars working in other multilingual

Revistas científicas de las universidades españolas: acciones básicas para aumentar su difusión e impacto

Abstract: A description of the current situation of scholarly journals from Spanish universities with the aim of highlighting certain actions to improve their dissemination. First, quantitative data is offered regarding the university scientific journals that originate from journal directories (essentially, Cindoc, Ulrich’s and Latindex). It then sets out a set of seven basic lines of action to improve their dissemination and impact: content digitalisation, inclusion on portals, free access dissemination, creation of multilingual versions, communication of new features, audience measuring and inclusion in databases. Finally, reference is made to the main agents that may carry out this type of action