El Sistema Alimentario Global: estudio de la percepción social en Cataluña

The conceptual model on the Global Food System (GFS) formulated by Clotet and others (2013), is articulated around four axes: Availability, Economy, Politics and Knowledge (knowledge, social behavior and culture). In this model, each of these axes has the same significance or weighting and for the quantitative study of results, concepts and methods of Compositional Data Analysis are applied (Jarauta-Bragulat et al., 2018). The purpose of this paper is to study and characterize the social perception in Catalonia of the relative importance (weighting) of each of the four axes of the aforementioned model. The study is carried out through the statistical analysis of the results of a survey completed by people who make up a random sample within the territory of Catalonia. The results of this survey are intended to analyze whether the equal balancing of the model axis is adequate or, on the contrary, the weights should be modified in that territory and, in this way, apply a more refined and representative weighting of reality. Several aspects are exposed and commented on: the design of the questionnaire, the data collection, the application of statistical sampling techniques (stratification by quotas and weighting of the strata), polish debugging techniques, as well as profiling techniques to differentiate groups between the variables of the food system and the sociodemographic characteristics that determine them. Based on the results, conclusions are stated. Main conclusions are: adequacy of the theoretical framework of the global food system to articulate the study (Colomer and Jarauta-Bragulat, 2016); adequacy of cluster analysis as a tool and obtaining four differentiated groups; obtaining a relative weight on the axes of the food system model; valuing availability and economy above the other two axes and, lastly, the need for greater food training for citizens for the collective benefit and for each of its members.El modelo conceptual sobre el Sistema Alimentario Global (SAG) formulado por Clotet y otros (2013), se articula en torno a cuatro ejes: disponibilidad, economía, política y saber (conocimiento, comportamiento social y cultura). En este modelo cada uno de estos ejes tiene la misma significación o ponderación, y para el estudio cuantitativo de resultados se aplican conceptos y métodos del Análisis de Datos Composicionales (Jarauta-Bragulat y otros, 2018). El presente trabajo tiene por objeto estudiar y caracterizar la percepción social en Cataluña de la importancia relativa (ponderación) de cada uno de los cuatro ejes del referido modelo. El estudio se lleva a cabo mediante el análisis estadístico de los resultados de una encuesta cumplimentada por personas que componen una muestra aleatoria dentro del territorio de Cataluña. Con los resultados de esta encuesta se pretende analizar si la igual ponderación inicial de los ejes en el modelo de SAG es adecuada o, por el contrario, los pesos deben modificarse en esta comunidad autónoma y, de este modo, aplicar una ponderación más afinada y representativa de la realidad social de Cataluña. Se exponen y comentan diversos aspectos: el diseño del cuestionario, la recopilación de los datos, la aplicación de técnicas estadísticas de muestreo (estratificación por cuotas y ponderación de los estratos), técnicas de depuración de encuestas, así como técnicas de profiling para diferenciar grupos entre las variables del sistema alimentario y las características sociodemográficas que los determinan. A partir de los resultados se formulan las conclusiones del trabajo, entre las que cabe destacar: adecuación del marco teórico del SAG (Colomer y Jarauta-Bragulat, 2016) para articular el estudio, adecuación del análisis clúster como herramienta y obtención de cuatro grupos diferenciados, obtención de una ponderación relativa en los ejes del modelo de sistema alimentario, valoración de la disponibilidad y la economía por encima de los otros dos ejes y, por último, necesidad de una mayor formación alimentaria de la ciudadanía para beneficio colectivo y de cada uno de sus miembros

Anthropogenic pollutants in Nephrops norvegicus (Linnaeus, 1758) from the NW Mediterranean Sea : Uptake assessment and potential impact on health

Altres ajuts: Generalitat de Catalunya. Departament d'Agricultura ARP059/19/00003 ; Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-MAltres ajuts: acord transformatiu CRUE-CSICAnthropogenic pollution is considered one of the main threats to the marine environment, and there is an imperious need to assess its potential impact on ecologically and economically relevant species. This study characterises plastic ingestion and tissue levels of potentially toxic metallic elements in Nephrops norvegicus and their simultaneous levels in abiotic compartments from three locations of the Catalan coast (NW Mediterranean Sea). A multidisciplinary assessment of the health condition of N. norvegicus through condition indices, enzymatic biomarkers and histological techniques is provided, and its relationship with anthropogenic pollutant levels explored. Plastic fibres were commonly found in stomachs of N. norvegicus (85% of the individuals), with higher abundances (13 ± 21 fibres · ind) in specimens captured close to Barcelona. The presence of long synthetic fibres in near-bottom waters, as well as the mirroring trends in abundance among locations for water and ingested plastics, suggest that uptake from water may be occurring potentially through suspension feeding. The spatial variability in the levels of metallic elements in N. norvegicus was poorly correlated to the variability in sediments. In any case, present levels in abdominal muscle are considered safe for human consumption. Levels of ingested plastics only showed significant, yet weak, correlations with glutathione S-transferase and catalase activities. However, no other health parameter analysed showed any trend potentially associated to anthropogenic pollutant levels. Neither the condition indices nor the histopathological assessment evidenced any signs of pathologic conditions affecting N. norvegicus. Thus, it was concluded that presently there is no evidence of a negative impact of the studied pollutants on the health condition of N. norvegicus in the studied grounds

Sharing Economy Digital Platforms and Social Inclusion/Exclusion: A Research Study of Uber and Careem in Pakistan

Part 2: Digital Platforms for DevelopmentInternational audienceThe sharing economy business models enabled by digital platforms are shifting the landscape of economic growth and nature of employment globally. This study focuses on digital travel industry of Pakistan and aims to explore the social and economic implications of sharing economy platforms. Drawing on the concepts of social inclusion/exclusion from ICT and IS literature, we examine the potential participation of digital platforms in social inclusion/exclusion of the society. We adopted an interpretive and qualitative research design. The data was collected through informal talks, observations and semi-structured interviews. For our research study, we selected two online ride-hailing companies operational in Pakistan, Uber and Careem. The study shows social impacts of sharing economy digital-platforms to enhance culture of trust, family confidence and women empowerment. It highlights the inclusion of unemployed groups through self-entrepreneurship that improve economic activities in the society. The study also identifies few contradictions and potential challenges that support social exclusion due to technology, such as biased gendered contribution in economic activities, generation/age constraints in usability and accessibility issues based on geographic locations