An economic model for water allocation in North Eastern Spain

The aim of this paper is to construct and apply a model for the allocation of water between two competing users, namely irrigation and hydropower. The model is applied in a case study of a specific water system located in North Eastern Spain. Starting with an irrigation-hydropower joint income function, we develop a constrained maximisation process that takes into account the environmental, institutional and actual priority of the water rights. The resulting solution can be useful as a guide for potential bargains between users. Furthermore, we evaluate the results for different supply (precipitation) and water allotments (increase in irrigated land). The results show that there are sufficient incentives so as to reach agreements that lead to improvements in a Pareto sense without side payments.Environmental and Natural Resource Economics, Water Economics, Bargaining, Cooperative Games

Water quality as a limiting factor: Concepts and applications for the Mid-Ebro valley

The particular characteristics of the soil, the climate and the distrubution of water amongst the different types of use, all result in a specific problem for the management of the water resource in the arid and semi-arid areas of Spain, making it necessary to redefine tha notions of consumption, efficiency of use and water supply in accordance with new criteria that take the different qualities into account. This, in turn, leads to new meanings being given to terms such as scarcity, water deficit, etc. Within this framework, the objetive of the paper is twofold: first, to propose new concepts and measures that include qualitative aspects; secondly, to psesent an empirical approximation of these concepts, based on the water and socio-economic data for tha mid-Ebro Valley region of Northern Spain. Keywords: Water Economics, Water supply, Water management.

Integration of hydrological and economic approaches to water and land management in Mediterranean climates: an initial case study in agriculture

A distinction is commonly drawn in Hydrology between ‘green’ and ‘blue water’ in accounting for total water availability in semi-arid regions. The criterion underlying this classification is important for successful water management, because it reveals how much natural water is and/or could be used by households, industry and, especially, agriculture. The relative share of green and blue water is generally treated as a constant. In recent years, a growing hydro-geological literature has focused on a phenomenon that significantly affects the stability of the green/blue water ratio. This is the increase in land cover density and its impact on runoff in regions with a Mediterranean climate, such as the Ebro Basin in Spain. We seek to carry this knowledge over into the parameters of disciplines concerned with the economic valuation of water and territorial resources, and translate it into the language used by water management professionals in the expectation that this contribution will improve the way we assess and account for real water availability. The heart of the matter is that the increasing density of forest cover produces both positive and negative environmental and economic impacts, presenting new economic and environmental problems that must be examined and assessed in a hydrological-economic context. We will show that these positive and negative effects are sufficiently important to merit attention, whether they are measured in physical or economic terms. Finally, we make an initial proposal for the economic valuation of some of the effects produced by these hydrological changes.blue water; green water; hydro-economic framework; water resources accounting

Highly sensitive frequency metrology for optical anisotropy measurements

In this paper we present a novel apparatus aimed at measuring very small birefringences and anisotropies, based on frequency metrology and not on polarimetry as usual. In our experiment, a very high finesse resonant cavity is used to convert the phase difference into a resonance frequency difference, which can then be measured with very high accuracy. We describe the set-up and present the results of experimental tests which exhibited a sensitivity dn ~ 2 x 10?18, allowing for the measurement of long-predicted magneto-electro-optical effects in gases. Since the shotnoise limited sensitivity of our apparatus lies well below the state-of-the-art sensitivity, frequency metrology appears as a promising technique for small birefringence measurements.Comment: Accepted for publication in Review of Scientific Instrument

Últims estudis mostren una major incidència del carcinoma basocel·lular a la població espanyola

Els canvis en l'estil de vida que als últims anys ha experimentat la societat han incrementat l'exposició als raigs solars i això genera un augment en les afeccions de la pell entre la població caucàsica, com la neoplàsia (proliferació anormal de les cèl·lules d'un teixit). El carcinoma basocelular és una de les més comunes i, encara que no té un alt índex de mortalitat, s'està convertint en un seriós problema al que no se li està prestant la suficient atenció epidemiològica. Estudis realitzats a les últimes dècades a Espanya mostraven una incidència similar a alguns països nòrdics (al voltant de 50 casos per 100 mil habitants i any), la qual cosa no semblava estar en concordança amb la seva situació geogràfica. Aquest estudi, realitzat al Barcelonès Nord, mostra una incidència fins a cinc vegades superior a l'avaluada en els estudis anteriors.Los cambios en el estilo de vida que en los últimos años ha experimentado la sociedad han incrementado la exposición a los rayos solares y ello genera un aumento en las afecciones de la piel entre la población caucásica, como la neoplasia (proliferación anormal de las células de un tejido). El carcinoma basocelular es una de las más comunes y, aunque no tiene un alto índice de mortalidad, se está convirtiendo en un serio problema al que no se le está prestando la suficiente atención epidemiológica. Estudios realizados en las últimas décadas en España, mostraban una incidencia similar a algunos países nórdicos (alrededor de 50 casos por 100 mil habitantes y año), lo cual no parecía estar en concordancia con su situación geográfica. El presente estudio, realizado en el Barcelonès Nord, muestra una incidencia hasta cinco veces superior a la evaluada en los estudios anteriores

Apertura cosmopolita al otro. Una aproximación al papel de la traducción en la teoría social del cosmopolitismo

Aquest article analitza el paper de la traducció en la teoria del cosmopolitisme actual i, més generalment, en una concepció de cosmopolitisme com a obertura als altres. Mentre que la teoria de la globalització ha estat, en gran part, cega a l’important rol de la traducció en els processos d’interconnectivitat global, des de la teoria del cosmopolitisme més recent s’ha atorgat una nova centralitat a la traducció, en un context en què se subratlla la coexistència de modernitats múltiples i la interacció entre elles i no pas la convergència cap a una única cultura mundial. Aquest article examina, en primer lloc, el paper que ocupa la traducció en la teoria del cosmopolitisme actual, centrant-se especialment en dos autors: Ulrich Beck i Gerard Delanty. En segon lloc, s’elabora un concepte de traducció que permeti explicar les interaccions entre cultures diferents i especificar una noció de cosmopolitisme com a internalització de l’altre. En tercer lloc, s’apunten algunes implicacions importants d’aquesta anàlisi per a la teoria social del cosmopolitisme.This article analyses the role of translation in contemporary theories of cosmopolitanism and, more generally, in a conception of cosmopolitanism as openness to the other. Whereas globalization theory was predominantly silent about the important role of translation in processes of global connectivity, translation has gained a central importance in recent accounts of cosmopolitanism in a context in which the coexistence of multiple modernities and the interaction between them, rather than convergence towards a single global culture, is emphasized. This article examines, first, the role of translation in contemporary theories of cosmopolitanism, focusing especially on two authors: Ulrich Beck and Gerard Delanty. Secondly, it proposes a concept of translation that can account for interactions between different cultures and specify a notion of cosmopolitanism as internalization of the other. Thirdly, it draws some important implications of this analysis for the social theory of cosmopolitanism.Este artículo analiza el papel de la traducción en la teoría del cosmopolitismo actual y, más generalmente, en una concepción de cosmopolitismo como apertura a los otros. Mientras la teoría de la globalización ha sido, en gran parte, ciega al importante rol de la traducción en los procesos de interconectividad global, desde la teoría del cosmopolitismo más reciente se ha otorgado una nueva centralidad a la traducción, en un contexto en que se subraya la coexistencia de modernidades múltiples y la interacción entre ellas y no la convergencia hacia una única cultura mundial. Este artículo examina, en primer lugar, el papel que ocupa la traducción en la teoría del cosmopolitismo actual, centrándose especialmente en dos autores: Ulrich Beck y Gerard Delanty. En segundo lugar, se elabora un concepto de traducción que permita dar cuenta de las interacciones entre culturas distintas y especificar una noción de cosmopolitismo como internalización del otro. En tercer lugar, se apuntan algunas importantes implicaciones de este análisis para la teoría social del cosmopolitismo

Physiological characterization of drought stress response and expression of two transcription factors and two LEA genes in three Prunus genotypes

Global warming has led to a progressive decrease in rainfall, which is reflected by a reduction of water resources in the soil and a negative effect on crop production in Mediterranean areas. Under drought stress, many plants react by inducing a different series of responses at both physiological and molecular levels, allowing them to survive for a variable period of time. Therefore, in order to understand the response of roots to drought conditions, the genotypes peach × almond ‘Garnem’ [P. amygdalus Batsch × P. persica (L.) Batsch] and their progeny, the hybrid ‘P.2175’ × ‘Garnem’-3 and OP-‘P.2175’ (P. cerasifera Ehrh.) were subjected to a period of water deficit. Drought conditions with a subsequent re-watering period were tested for potted plants for one month. Stomatal conductance and leaf water potential were measured to monitor the plant physiological responses. Significant differences among the drought stress and drought stress recovery treatments and among the genotypes were observed. In addition, four genes related to the ABA biosynthesis pathway were studied for their expression by RT-qPCR: an AN20/AN1 zinc finger protein (ppa012373m); a bZIP transcription factor (ppa013046m); a dehydrin (ppa005514m) and a LEA protein (ppa008651m). Their expression profiles correlated with our physiological results of drought response, being higher in roots than in phloem tissue. In general, the expression of the four studied genes was higher after 15 days under drought conditions. Under drought and recovery conditions, the zinc finger and bZIP transcription factors showed significant differences in their relative expression levels from LEA and dehydrin. These results suggest the role of LEA and dehydrin in the regulatory response to drought stress in Prunus genotypes. Therefore, the dehydrin and the protein LEA might be potential biomarkers to select rootstocks for tolerance to drought conditions.We wish to thank Michael Glenn for helpful comments and ideas on the ash content discussion. This work was supported by RTA2014-00062 from the Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria (INIA) and by the Research Group A12 of Aragon, Spain. We kindly appreciate the FPI-INIA 2012 grant for B. Bielsa

Globalisation as translation: an approximation to the key but invisible role of translation in globalisation

Two fundamental features of globalisation are the overcoming of spatial barriers and the centrality of knowledge and information. These developments, which result in the increased mobility of people and objects and a heightened contact between different linguistic communities (mass tourism, migration, information and media flows) signal, in spite of the predominance of English as a global lingua franca, an exponential growth in the significance of translation, which becomes a key mediator of global communication. Yet language and translation have been systematically neglected in the current literature on globalisation. This article critically examines current theories of globalisation and interrogates their lack of attention towards translation. It formulates an attempt to understand the significance of translation in a global context, conceptualising its analytical place in globalisation theory and its key role in the articulation of the global and the local

Beyond Hybridity and Authenticity: Globalisation, Translation and the Cosmopolitan Turn in the Social Sciences

This article focuses on current debates on the role of translation in the context of globalisation and, more specifically, on its prominence in theories of contemporary cosmopolitanism. Whereas globalisation theory was predominantly silent about the role of translation in making possible the flow of information worldwide, assuming instant communicability and transparency, translation has assumed a central importance in recent accounts of cosmopolitanism which focus on global interdependence, the negotiation of difference and the notion of multiple modernities. It is argued that such a concept of multiple modernities allows us to shift the emphasis away from notions of hybridity and authenticity and to stress the degree of interaction between different cultural traditions. A concept of translation becomes key in analysing the form in which these interactions take place and in specifying a notion of cosmopolitanism as internalisation of the other. The article finally discusses current debates on the transformation of citizenship as an instance of cosmopolitan processes of translation and internalisation of otherness