The application of economic instruments to the management of threatened species : a fisheries case study in the Galápagos Islands : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Applied Science (Natural Resource Economics), Massey University,

Under open access conditions fisheries tend to suffer from overexploitation and rent dissipation. This situation makes regulation necessary to achieve sustainability. In the Galápagos Marine Reserve, ineffective fisheries management has created a 'regulated' open access situation. The major fisheries, sea cucumber and spiny lobster, have been exploited beyond sustainable levels and catches have decreased significantly. Given the state of the resources, fisheries management in Galápagos needs to effectively limit catch and effort to sustainable levels. This research analyses the feasibility of an individual transferable quota (ITQ) scheme in Galápagos, evaluating the suitability of the context and assessing the expected economic benefits and equity implications from such a regulatory instrument. The spiny lobster fishery is considered to be suitable for an ITQ scheme while the sea cucumber fishery is not, given that the resource is on the verge of commercial extinction, the difficulties in monitoring exports and the variability of prices. The optimal management scenario for the spiny lobster fishery, of those evaluated in this study, is an ITQ scheme where the total allowable catch is set at the maximum economic yield. This scenario resulted in the largest economic benefit and efficiency gains. Major equity implications are expected from an ITQ scheme in this fishery also. These, however, are consistent with the amount of catch that needs to be reduced in order for the fishery to operate sustainably. With this in mind, it is concluded that the Galápagos National Park Service and other stakeholders that participate in fisheries management in the archipelago should consider the adoption of an ITQ scheme to manage the spiny lobster fishery. The sea cucumber fishery on the other hand, needs to remain closed until the stock recovers. Current challenges to more effective fisheries management are limited monitoring and enforcement and weaknesses within fishing cooperatives. An enhancement of the monitoring and enforcement component, and a strengthening of fishing cooperatives through more meaningful grassroots participation in fisheries management are necessary to improve the current situation. Complementary restrictions and policies to achieve particular socio-economic and environmental objectives will also be necessary in order to reduce potential negative impacts from an ITQ scheme

Energy efficiency improvement through MPC-based peripherals management for an industrial process test-bench

High energy costs evince the growing need for energy efficiency in industrial companies. This paper presents a solution at the industrial machine level to obtain efficient energy consumption. Therefore, a controller inspired by the well-known model predictive control (MPC) strategy was developed for the management of peripheral devices. The validation of the control requires a test-bench to emulate the energy consumption of a manufacturing machine. The test-bench has four devices, two used to emulate the periodic and fixed energy consumption of the manufacturing process and two as peripherals, subject to rules associated with the process. Consequently, a subspace identification (SI) was employed to identify energy models to simulate the behavior of the device. As a final step, a performance comparison between a rule-based control (RBC) and the proposed predictive-like controller revealed the remarkable energy savings. The MPC results show an energy saving of around 3% with respect to RBC as well as an instant maximum energy consumption reduction of 8%, approximately.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Young Adults’ Previous Experience of Self-Harm in the Context of School Bullying: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

This qualitative study explores the lived experience of previous self-harm in the context of school bullying. Based on semi-structured interviews conducted with a purposive sample of seven young adults, the study uses Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to investigate the specific meaning attributed by participants to their own experiences. Four superordinate themes emerge from the data: dealing with rejection; expressing self-hatred; screaming alone and in silence; and taking back the pain. Participants in this study give meaning to their self-harm in the context of bullying as a way of physically expressing both negative interpersonal and intrapersonal dynamics. Lack of belongingness; perceptions of unsupportiveness and invalidation from others; strong tendencies to withdraw and keep struggles hidden; intense self-hatred and desire to punish the self; and a need to escape and seek distraction, characterise participants’ understandings of their experience. This study adds support to the affect regulation theory of the relationship between bullying and self-harm; raises awareness that loneliness is a central mediator in this relationship; and strengthens the understanding that unsettling school environments are critical in adolescents’ bullying and self-harming. As the first qualitative study the author has come across on the subject, it reveals participants’ accounts that self-harm, whilst in many ways hurtful, is a way of escaping from the bullying-related pain, and that no theory can, by itself, explain the complex functions of self-harm within this context. The findings of this study can be useful for future research and can hopefully have beneficial implications for the practice of Counselling Psychology

Nivel de satisfacción del adulto mayor respecto a los cuidados que reciben en el Asilo Cristo Rey de la ciudad de Cuenca, 2010

La atención de los Adultos Mayores debe estar dirigida hacia la promoción y el mantenimiento de una calidad aceptable de vida, para la cual se requiere la intervención física, social transdiciplinaria y con profesionales comprometidos en el cuidado integral a través de la participación en equipo. Por ello se realizó el presente estudio para determinar el nivel de satisfacción del adulto mayor respecto a los cuidados que reciben en el Asilo Cristo Rey de la ciudad de Cuenca. Esta investigación es cuantitativa de tipo observacional y descriptiva; el Universo de estudio lo constituyeron 93 adultos mayores internados a quienes se les aplicó entrevistas y encuestas, utilizando formularios estructurados para el efecto. Se encontró que el nivel de satisfacción del adulto mayor respecto a los cuidados recibidos no son óptimos evidenciando falencias en el cuidado respecto a la nutrición, atención profesional, actividad física, afecto y de recreación. AULicenciado en EnfermeríaCuenc

Detección de circovirus porcino tipo 2 en cerdos del Ecuador mediante PCR.

This report describes the first detection of Porcine Circovirus Type 2 (PCV2) from pigs affected with and without Porcine Circovirus Associated Diseases (PCVA) in Ecuador. A total of 162 samples were collected during November 2010 and March 2011: 25 from commercial swine herds with a range of clinical signs and the rest randomly at slaughter houses. Using two sets of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers, it was possible to detect PCV2 DNA in 62.35% (101/162) of pigs. Positive PCR reactions (24/25) from samples of pigs with clinical signs suggest that PCV2 is associated with the symptoms of PCVA. Additionally, the nucleotide sequence analysis confirms the PCV2 detection with at least a 95% homology compared with other PCV2 found in the GenBank database. Previous to this study vaccines were not commercially available in Ecuador. With these results, the Sanitary Institution in Ecuador has extended the importation permission.Este trabajo describe por primera vez la presencia de Circovirus Porcino Tipo 2 (PCV2) en cerdos con sintomatología clínica compatible y en animales tomados al azar en el Ecuador. Se tomaron un total de 162 muestras entre noviembre de 2010 y marzo de 2011; 25 de granjas tecnificadas con distintos signos clínicos compatibles con Enfermedades Asociadas a Circovirus Porcino (PCVA) y las restantes, al azar, de distintos centros de faenamiento. Mediante dos sets de primers para la técnica de Reacción en Cadena de la Polimerasa (PCR) se logró detectar ADN de PCV2 en 62.35% (101/162) de los animales. En el presente estudio se encontró que 24/25 de los animales con sintomatología sugestiva, fue positivo a la prueba de PCR. Adicionalmente, el análisis de las secuencias de ADN obtenidas confirma la presencia de PCV2 en los animales muestreados con un porcentaje de homología mínimo de 95% comparado con otras secuencias de PCV2 en la base de datos del GenBank. Previo a este estudio, las vacunas para Circovirus porcino tipo 2 no se expedían en nuestro país. Los resultados obtenidos permitieron se extendiera el permiso de importación por parte de la autoridad sanitaria

Las directrices del costo como fuentes de ventajas competitivas.

Este trabajo pretende describir con el mayor detalle y actualización posible el comportamiento de los costos dentro de una actividad de valor con base en los diez factores estructurales que influyen en el costo, denominados por Michael E. Porter (1985), como guías o directrices del costo en su libro La Ventaja Competitiva. Estas directrices actúan como fuentes directas para establecer y sostener el posicionamiento estratégico asumido por la empresa, para determinar la posición relativa de costos y para explicar, en gran parte, la generación temporal de valor en las diversas actividades desarrolladas a lo largo de la cadena de valor. Por esto constituyen uno de los fundamentos para explicar las diferencias de resultados entre empresas pertenecientes al mismo sector de actividad económica y fuentes de ventajas competitivas sostenibles.Actividad de valor,

Efectividad de la codificación grey en la transmisión de datos en un canal digital AWGN

This paper presents the analysis of the error probabilities in a digital AWGN channel data transmission, for a line-coded string of bits, using the Gray code, for different values of thresholds and voltage levels in the transmission. The analysis is performed throughout the comparison of the numeric evaluation of exact formulas with the error probability estimation obtained by statistical frequency repetition and error counting.El presente artículo presenta el análisis de la probabilidad de error en la transmisión de datos en un canal digital con ruido blanco gaussiano aditivo (AWGN), considerando una cadena de bits codificada con el código Grey, para diferentes valores de umbral de decisión y de voltajes de transmisión. El análisis se desarrolla a través de la comparación de la evaluación numérica de la probabilidad de error, a través de fórmulas matemáticas exactas, con la frecuencia estadística de error a través del conteo de errores

Discurso de odio e ilegalización de partido político

Traballo fin de grao (UDC.DER). Dereito. Curso 2016/201