Challenges and responses of agri-food activities under COVID-19 pandemic: The case of the Spanish territories producing wine and olive oil

Producción CientíficaThe COVID-19 pandemic has deeply affected economic activities worldwide. The challenge for territories and companies has been how to cope with mobility restrictions. Even in the case of essential activities such as agri-food industries, the adaptation has been a challenging issue to deal with. The paper aims to show how the wine and olive oil industries in Spain have restructured their activities in order to respond to the confinement and the new normalcy, using new technologies as a strategic tool, but also making the most of new actions to keep their presence in the national and international markets. The research was carried out mostly through qualitative analysis, using the in-depth interview as a main tool to gain strategic information from managers of companies and local policymakers. Results show that when local policy makers and managers cooperate, despite the different perceptions they could have, the outcome is positive for facing competitive shocks and carving out new local initiatives, making firms and the territory itself more resilient

Optimizing parameter design: The univariate Forest-Genetic method

[EN] In the 80¿s, Dr Genichi Taguchi developed a methodology for processes and product parameters design improvement known as the Taguchi methodology. Different proposals have emerged involving artificial intelligence techniques. Our proposal consists of a hybrid methodology that combines Random Forest (RF) and Genetic Algorithms (GA) in three phases: normalization, modeling and optimization. The first phase corresponds to the previous preparation of the data set by using normalization functions. In the modeling, the objective function is determined using strategies based on RF to predict the value of the response in a given set of parameters. Finally, in the optimization phase, the optimal combination of the parameter levels is obtained by integrating properties given by our modeling scheme into the corresponding GA. The results are compared numerically with the contributions recently found in the literature. Our methodological proposal focuses on the most important variables resulting from the RF modeling process, which allows to develop and direct more efficiently the new generations in the optimization phase, and consequently, achieve significant improvements in the quality objective considered.[ES] El Dr Genichi Taguchi desarrolló en los años 80 una metodología para la mejora del diseño de parámetros de productos y procesos, conocida como metodología Taguchi. Diversas propuestas han surgido en las que se mezclan técnicas de inteligencia artificial. Proponemos la creación de un híbrido entre Random Forest (RF) y los Algoritmos Genéticos (GA) en 3 fases; normalización, modelización y optimización. La primera fase corresponde a la preparación previa del conjunto de datos mediante funciones de normalización. En modelización se determina la función objetivo utilizando estrategias basadas en RF para predecir el valor de la respuesta en un conjunto de parámetros dado. Finalmente, en la fase de optimización se obtiene la combinación óptima de los niveles de los parámetros mediante la integración de propiedades dadas por nuestro esquema de modelización en el establecimiento del correspondiente GA. Se comparan los resultados de forma numérica con aportes más recientemente encontrados en la literatura. Nuestra propuesta metodológica se concentra en las variables de mayor importancia producto del proceso de modelización con RF, lo que permite desarrollar y dirigir de manera más eficiente las nuevas generaciones en la fase de optimización y en consecuencia, alcanzar significativas mejoras en cuanto al objetivo de calidad considerado.Villa-Murillo, A.; Carrión García, A.; Sozzi Rodríguez, AJ. (2016). Optimización del diseño de parámetros: Método Forest-Genetic univariante. Publicaciones en Ciencias y Tecnología. 10(1):12-24. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/103728S122410

CAMBIOS EN LA VEGETACIÓN DE LA FRANJA LITORAL DE LAS MARISMAS DE DOÑANA (HUELVA, ESPAÑA) DURANTE EL HOLOCENO RECIENTE

This work is based on the pollen analysis of three Late Holocene sediment cores from southwestern Doñana. It shows as vegetation changes are largely controlled by geomorphological dynamics, so that vegetational developments in response to climatic changes appear strongly conditioned. The events of prevalence of marine conditions correspond to palynological hiatuses, and the non-pollen microfossil assemblages suggest this sterility is a refl ection of post-depositional processes including localized erosion that could have led to sharp contacts in the stratigraphies.Este trabajo se basa en el análisis polínico de tres testigos de sedimento obtenidos en el sector sur de Doñana y correspondientes al Holoceno reciente. Se observa cómo los cambios ocurridos en la vegetación autóctona marismeña durante el Holoceno están controlados primordialmente por la dinámica geomorfológica del medio, lo cual hace que los modos y tiempos de la respuesta vegetal al cambio climático hayan sido fuertemente modulados. Los eventos de prevalencia de las condiciones marinas en el estuario quedan refl ejados por hiatos palinológicos. El cuadro de microfósiles no polínicos sugiere que dicha esterilidad viene condicionada por alteración postdeposicional y fases de erosión que provocarían contactos litológicos abruptos

Recensiones [Revista de Historia Económica Año XV Otoño-Invierno 1997 n. 3 pp. 637-673]

Editada en la Fundación Empresa PúblicaDavid S. Reher. La familia en España, pasado y presenta (Por Enriqueta Camps Cura).-- Juan A. Sánchez Belén. La política fiscal en Castilla durante el reinado de Carlos V (Por Francisco Comín).-- José Marchena. Burgueses y caciques en el Cádiz de la Restauración (Por Carlos Larrinaga).-- G. Pérez Sánchez. Ser trabajador; vida y respuesta obrera (Valladolid 1875-1931) (Por Esmeralda Ballesteros Doncel).-- María Teresa Pérez Picazo. Historia de España del siglo XX (Por Antonio Escudero).-- Virginia García Acosta (coord.). Los precios de alimentos y manufacturas novohispanos (Por Juan Carlos Sola Corbacho).-- Roberto Cortés Conde. La economía argentina en el largo plazo (Por Isabel Sanz Vülarroya).-- Philip Hoffmam. Growth in a Traditional Society (Por Juan Antonio Carmona Pidal).-- Michael Huberman. Escape from the market. Negotiating work in Lancashire (Por Joan R. Roses).-- Jean-Michel Selig. Malnutrition & dévelopment économique dans l'Alsace duxix siécle (Por José Miguel Martínez Carrión).-- R. M. Hartwell. A History of the Mont Pelerin Society (Por Carlos Rodríguez Braun).-- N. Crafts and G. Toniolo. Economic growth in Europe since 1945 (Por DouglasJ. Forsyth).-- Jaime Reis. O Banco de Portugal das Origens a 1914. I Volume: Antecedentes. Fundafao. Consolidagao (1821-1857) (Por Pablo Martín Aceña)Publicad

Periodontitis is associated with subclinical cerebral and carotid atherosclerosis in hypertensive patients: A cross‑sectional study

Objective: To examine the relationship between periodontitis and subclinical intracranial atherosclerosis. The association of periodontitis with preclinical markers of atherosclerosis in other vascular territories was also explored. Material and methods: This was a cross-sectional study where 97 elderly subjects with a previous history of hypertension received an ultrasonographic evaluation to assess subclinical atherosclerosis in different vascular territories: (1) cerebral [pulsatility (PI) and resistance index (RI) of the middle cerebral artery], (2) carotid [intima-media thickness (IMT)], and (3) peripheral [ankle-brachial index (ABI)]. Additionally, participants underwent a full-mouth periodontal assessment together with blood sample collection to determine levels of inflammatory biomarkers (leukocytes, fibrinogen, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate), lipid fractions (total cholesterol and high- and low-density lipoprotein), and glucose. Results: Sixty-one individuals had periodontitis. Compared to subjects without periodontitis, those with periodontitis showed higher values of PI (1.24 ± 0.29 vs 1.01 ± 0.16), RI (0.70 ± 0.14 vs 0.60 ± 0.06), and IMT (0.94 ± 0.15 vs 0.79 ± 0.15) (all p < 0.001). No statistically significant differences were found neither for ABI or for other clinical and biochemical parameters. An independent association was found between periodontitis and increased intracranial atherosclerosis (ORadjusted = 10.16; 95% CI: 3.14-32.90, p < 0.001) and to a lesser extent with thicker carotid IMT (ORadjusted = 4.10; 95% CI: 1.61-10.48, p = 0.003). Conclusions: Periodontitis is associated with subclinical atherosclerosis in both intracranial and carotid arteries in elderly subjects with hypertension. Clinical relevance: The association of periodontitis with intracranial atherosclerosis implies that periodontitis patients might have greater chances to develop ischemic stroke in the futureOpen Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. This study was partially supported by grants from the Xunta de Galicia (TS: IN607A2018/3 and TS: IN607D 2020/09), Spanish Ministry of Science (TS: RTI2018-102165-B-I00 and RTC2019-007373-1), Institute of Health Carlos III (PI22/00938), and RICOR-ICTUS Network (RD21/0006/003). Furthermore, this study was also supported by grants from the Interreg Atlantic Area (TS: EAPA_791/2018_ NeuroATLANTIC project), Interreg V-A España Portugal (POCTEP) (TS: 0624_2IQBIONEURO_6_E), and the European Regional Development Fund. YL is supported by a Sara Borrell fellowship (CD22/00051), and TS (CPII17/00027) and FC (CPII19/00020) are recipients of Miguel Servet contracts, all of them funded by the Institute of Health Carlos IIIS

Documento de consenso sobre el tratamiento antimicrobiano de las infecciones bacterianas odontogénicas

Las infecciones de la cavidad bucal son un problema de salud pública frecuente y motivo constante de prescripción antibiótica; el 10% de los antibióticos se emplean para tratar este problema. Sin embargo, hasta la fecha son pocos los estudios realizados para determinar su incidencia. Asímismo, su relación con ciertas enfermedades sistémicas (cardiacas, endocrinas, etc...) confiere a estas patologías una importancia vital. A pesar de la reconocida frecuencia e importancia de las infecciones odontogénicas, llama la atención la actual dispersión de criterio en varios aspectos referentes a su clasificación, terminología y recomendaciones terapéuticas. El objetivo principal de este documento, realizado con el consenso de especialistas en microbiología y odontología, es establecer unas recomendaciones útiles para todos los profesionales implicados en el manejo clínico de estas patologías. Recibe especial atención el aumento de la prevalencia de resistencias bacterianas observado durante los últimos años y, en concreto, la proliferación de cepas productoras de betalactamasas. Otro factor causal importante de la aparición de resistencias es la falta de cumplimiento terapéutico, en especial en lo que respecta a la dosis y a la duración del tratamiento. Así pues, estas patologías constituyen un problema complejo cuyo abordaje requiere la instauración de antimicrobianos de amplio espectro, con adecuados parámetros farmacocinéticos, con buena tolerancia y una posología cómoda que permita que el paciente reciba la dosis adecuada durante el tiempo necesario. Amoxicilina/ácido clavulánico a dosis altas (2000mg/ 125mg) ha demostrado buenos resultados y capacidad para superar resistencias. Otros agentes como metronidazol y clindamicina, seguidos de claritromicina y azitromicina han demostrado también ser activos frente a la mayoría de los microorganismos responsables de las infecciones odontogé[email protected]

Reconstructing the impact of human activities in a NW Iberian Roman mining landscape for the last 2500 years

This article was made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.Little is known about the impact of human activities during Roman times on NW Iberian mining landscapes beyond the geomorphological transformations brought about by the use of hydraulic power for gold extraction. We present the high-resolution pollen record of La Molina mire, located in an area intensely used for gold mining (Asturias, NW Spain), combined with other proxy data from the same peat core to identify different human activities, evaluate the strategies followed for the management of the resources and describe the landscape response to human disturbances. We reconstructed the timing and synchronicity of landscape changes of varying intensity and form occurred before, during and after Roman times. An open landscape was prevalent during the local Late Iron Age, a period of relatively environmental stability. During the Early Roman Empire more significant vegetation shifts took place, reflected by changes in both forest (Corylus and Quercus) and heathland cover, as mining/metallurgy peaked and grazing and cultivation increased. In the Late Roman Empire, the influence of mining/metallurgy on landscape change started to disappear. This decoupling was further consolidated in the Germanic period (i.e., Visigothic and Sueve domination of the region), with a sharp decrease in mining/metallurgy but continued grazing. Although human impact was intense in some periods, mostly during the Early Roman Empire, forest regeneration occurred afterwards: clearances were local and short-lived. However, the Roman mining landscape turned into an agrarian one at the onset of the Middle Ages, characterized by a profound deforestation at a regional level due to a myriad of human activities that resulted in an irreversible openness of the landscape. © 2014 The Authors

Not seen before. Unveiling depositional context and Mammuthus meridionalis exploitation at Fuente Nueva 3 (Orce, southern Iberia) through taphonomy and microstratigraphy

Meat consumption by early hominins is a hotly debated issue. A key question concerns their access to large mammal carcasses, including megafauna. Currently, the evidence of anthropic cut marks on proboscidean bones older than -or close to- 1.0 Ma are restricted to the archaeological sites of Dmanisi (Georgia), Olduvai (Tanzania), Gona (Ethiopia), Olorgesailie (Kenya) and La Boella (Spain). During an inspection of the almost complete carcass of Mammuthus meridionalis (FN3-5-MPS) from the Oldowan site of Fuente Nueva 3 (Orce, Spain, c. 1.2 Ma), a few traces compatible with human-made cut marks and carnivore tooth marks were found. From this finding and previous interpretations the following questions arise: When and under what conditions was FN3-5-MPS deposited? What is the nature of the marks found on the surface of the bones of this mammoth? To answer, we have conducted a high-resolution analysis of these remains, combining both taphonomic and microstratigraphic data. Our results, using microstratigraphic and micromorphological analyses of sediments based on thin-sections, show that this individual was deposited in a marshy environment. Subsequently, the carcass was exploited by hominins and large felids that left their marks on the surface of some of its bones. For this purpose, the identification and characterisation of both cut marks and tooth marks were performed using high-resolution 3D modelling, geometric morphometrics, and artificially intelligent algorithms. Based on the anatomical position of both the cut and tooth marks, we propose that both the hominins and the saber-toothed cats had early access to the animal. Finally, this paper shows how an interdisciplinary approach can shed detailed light on the particular story regarding the death and processing of the carcass of a female mammoth, deposited at Fuente Nueva 3.This research has been carried out thanks to projects PID 2021.125098NB.I00 funding by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/FEDER Una manera de hacer Europa and ProyExcel_00274 funding by Dirección General de Planificación de la Investigación (Consejería de Universidad, Investigación e Innovación, Junta de Andalucía). In addition, this research has been supported by the following projects of the Spanish government: PID2021-122533NB-I00, PID2021-123092NB-C21, PID2022-136832NB-I00. We also acknowledge the support provided by the PALARQ Foundation through the project Ref: PR2004_19/01

New palynological data from the Late Pleistocene glacial refugium of South-West Iberia: The case of Doñana

S. Fernández, J.S. Carrión, J. Ochando, P. González-Sampériz, M. Munuera, G. Amorós, J.M. Postigo-Mijarra, C. Morales-Molino, P. García-Murillo, G. Jiménez-Moreno, J.A. López-Sáez, F. Jiménez-Espejo, L.M. Cáceres, J. Rodríguez-Vidal, G. Finlayson, S. Finlayson, C. Finlayson Erratum to “New palynological data from the Late Pleistocene glacial refugium of South-West Iberia: The case of Doñana” [Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology (2021) PALBO 104431] Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, Volume 296, January 2022, Pages 104566The Doñana area in southern Iberia is one of the most renowned protected areas of Europe, mostly due to the diversity and value of its wetland ecosystems. The large biogeographical significance of this territory and the outstanding availability of sedimentary archives have made this region a hotspot of paleobotanical research in the Iberian Peninsula. Specifically, the organic deposits on El Asperillo Cliff have been studied during the past few decades from the geomorphological and paleobotanical (pollen, macrofossils) points of view. However, large uncertainties remain concerning the chronology of certain sections of the exposed profile and the paleobotanical potential of this site has not been fully exploited yet. In this study, we revisited El Asperillo with the aims of completing the paleobotanical record and refining the chronology of this site. The age of the studied deposits ranges from ca. 22,000 to 30,900 cal. yr BP according to the radiocarbon dates obtained, thus embracing the particularly cold and dry Heinrich Event 2 and the Last Glacial Maximum. Our palynological results allow inferring the presence of a coastal marshland system. Additionally, the new pollen records highlight the relevance and diversity of pines (Pinus nigra-sylvestris type, P. pinaster, P. halepensis-pinea type) in the Late Pleistocene landscape of Doñana, reinforcing the native status of pines. Last but not least, the results stress the persistence of a highly diverse woody flora in Doñana during the harshest periods of the last glacial cycle, highlighting the importance of this enclave in postglacial vegetation recolonization of the Iberian Peninsula.The development of this work was supported by Projects FEDER/Ministry of Science and Innovation, Agencia Estatal de Investigación CGL-BOS2015-68604-P and PID2019-1049449GB-I00), 261-2011 Organismo Autónomo de Parques Nacionales and Fundación Séneca grant 20788/PI/18Peer reviewe