Nuevos debates sobre escalas en política de aguas. Estado, cuencas hidrográficas y comunidades autónomas en España

El artículo comienza sintetizando el estado del debate sobre las políticas de escala en la gestión de los recursos naturales en general y del agua en particular. Con este telón de fondo, se revisa la evolución jurídica, territorial y organizativa de los organismos de cuenca en España, desde su creación con la denominación de Confederaciones Sindicales Hidrográficas en 1926 hasta su situación en 2015, a la luz de las actuales aproximaciones críticas a la consideración de la cuenca como unidad incuestionable para la gestión del agua. Los autores sostienen que cuando se discute sobre el ‘ajuste espacial’ de la gestión de recursos naturales se debe prestar una especial atención a los cambios en las relaciones sociales y las estructuras de poder que cada opción, en su contexto histórico y geográfico concreto, implica

Estudio de los efectos físicos y sistemas de protección en los sistemas de distribución de potencia eléctrica embarcados

El objetivo de este Proyecto Fin de Carrera es el estudio del estado de la técnica referente al campo de las descargas eléctricas en sistemas embarcados. En este trabajo se identifican los problemas y las soluciones que se han descubierto hasta la fecha, relacionados con el campo de las descargas eléctricas, además se sintetizan y clarifican las leyes físicas que rigen este tipo de fenómenos. De esta forma se busca reunir en un único documento la información más importante y puntera sobre este tema. Se profundizará en el fenómeno de la formación y efectos de las descargas eléctricas, así como en las protecciones que se ofrecen actualmente en el mercado para este tipo de efectos. El estudio se centrará especialmente en el entorno de los sistemas embarcados aeronáuticos.Ingeniería Industria

Ciência, cientistas e democracia desfi gurada: o caso Belo Monte

The hydroelectric frontier in the Amazon is expanding due to the construction of large projects such as Santo Antonio and Jirau in the Madeira River, proposed projects in the Tapajós River, and Belo Monte in the big bend of the Xingu River (licensed in February 2010). Large projects that generate energy in the Amazon region provoke political, social, and environmental conflicts. These conflicts affect the credibility of the Environmental Licensing Evaluation process. Discourse from social groups that oppose development policies for the Belo Monte Hydroelectric Dam project offer insight into the origins and progression of these conflicts. Criticisms of the Experts Panel Network created to analyze the Environmental Impact Assessment in Belo Monte and other sectors of the society are evaluated.A fronteira hidrelétrica avança sobre a Amazônia com grandes obras como Santo Antonio e Jirau no rio Madeira e de maneira decisiva através dos projetos de Belo Monte proposto na Volta Grande do Xingu, licenciado em fevereiro de 2010, e de aproveitamentos no rio Tapajós. Contudo, os grandes projetos de infra-estrutura de geração de energia nesta região revelam confl itos, disputas políticas e econômicas que evidenciam risco aos processos de licenciamento ambiental, no processo de discussão de obras que envolvem bilhões de reais e consequências ambientais e sociais de grande envergadura. Alerta-se neste artigo à deslegitimação do discurso de grupos sociais que se opõem às políticas ofi ciais de desenvolvimento materializadas na duvidosa e polêmica usina de Belo Monte-PA, baseado na experiência da rede Painel de Especialistas constituído para análise crítica dos Estudos de Impacto Ambiental de Belo Monte e diversos segmentos da sociedade

Sustainable extraction of proteins and bioactive substances from pomegranate peel (Punica granatum L.) using pressurized liquids and deep eutectic solvents

Pomegranate peel is a source of proteins, bioactive peptides, and phenolic compounds. The simultaneous extraction of these compounds required the use of polluting solvents and reagents that are non-suitable. This work targets the development of green methodologies based on pressurized liquids (PLE) or deep eutectic solvents (DES) for the extraction of these compounds. Extracts were digested with different proteolytic enzymes and different functionalities (antioxidant, hypocholesterolemia, and antihypertensive capacities) were evaluated. Highly antioxidant and hypocholesterolemic extracts and hydrolysates were obtained using PLE while high antihypertensive capacity was observed in the hydrolysates from proteins extracted using DES. Peptides and polyphenols were identified by HPLC-ESI-Q-TOF/MS. Higher amounts of peptides were shown in hydrolysates from DES extracts while hydrolysates from PLE extracts presented higher amounts of phenolic compounds. Some peptides were assigned to proteins from Punica granatum. Both green methods improved the extraction of bioactive compounds from pomegranate peel compared to the non-sustainable method. Industrial relevance: The development of green methodologies which employ sustainable solvents such as pressurized liquids (PLE) and deep eutectic solvents (DES) allows extracting proteins and bioactive compounds from pomegranate peel. In addition, these solvents improve the extraction of health beneficial compounds compared to the non-sustainable and polluting solvents. Therefore, they could be used for the development of nutraceuticals and functional foods or even in medicinal, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical preparations

The role of the Water Framework Directive in the controversial transition of water policy paradigms in Spain and Portugal

The process of drafting, approving and implementing the Water Framework Directive (WFD) has played a pivotal role in the water-related political agenda of the Iberian Peninsula. The WFD has provided an institutional impetus for a shift from the dominant hydraulic paradigm towards a new water governance approach. The new approach, known as the New Water Culture (NWC), predated the WFD. It was initiated in Spain and Portugal in the 1990s and has been promoted by a coalition of academics, social activists, and water managers. Given the long tradition and relevance of water debates in Spain and Portugal, the sociopolitical and territorial conflicts surrounding the implementation of the new regulatory framework are of particular significance. Legal debates about the (in)correct transposition of the WFD into Spanish and Portuguese legislation are still unresolved. Legal debates about the (in)correct transposition of the WFD into Spanish and Portuguese legislation are still unresolved. Controversies focus on issues such as the use of economic instruments, for instance cost recovery and the use of public subsidies (a key component of the hydraulic paradigm), as well as the role of public participation in decision making processes. Significant resistance has been mounted by the traditional water policy community, which continues to dominate power structures surrounding water. Throughout the long WFD implementation process, conflicting views and interests have consistently emerged with regard to the diagnosis and identification of existing pressures and the definition, evaluation and implementation of the proposed measures. Controversies have also emerged around the extensive use of exceptions which has allowed the hydraulic paradigm to persist over time. Progress towards the promised governance model, however, is taking place, with significant improvements in transparency, more accurate knowledge regarding the aquatic ecosystems services and the inclusion in water management agencies of more diverse experts including social scientists, biologists and geologists. This paper looks at the role the WFD implementation process is playing in the struggle for the transformation of water policy in Spain and Portugal. It examines this through the lens of the NWC movement

Information and Knowledge for Water Governance in the Networked Society

In the last few years, parallel evolutionary processes in the socio-political, governmental and technological arenas have been providing new pathways for the collaborative generation, coordination and distribution of polycentric information. From a technological perspective, the proliferation of information and communication technologies (ICTs) has boosted the availability of information about our planet, along with its storage, processing and dissemination capabilities. The Worldwide Web and satellite and electronic sensors combined with smart phone technologies have also opened new means for social, political and scientific innovation. From a socio-political standpoint, the implementation of policies that encourage the reutilisation of data and protect the right to information of interested parties, together with growing social demands for transparency, have resulted in an increasing number of governments drawing strategies to open up public data. In this context, this paper addresses two main topics that we deem will be key drivers for improved water governance in the near future. First, it discusses new practices of collaborative and distributed generation and disclosure of information for water governance, and the resulting challenges and opportunities afforded by the use of ICTs. Second, it looks at the interplay between the uptake of ICTs and institutional frameworks, social dynamics and technological structures within which they operate to understand the extent to which ICTs affect decision-making processes and contribute to creating alternative spaces for the production of common services or alternative discourses. Despite the advances in open data policies, findings suggest that there remain significant challenges to take full advantage of the opportunities offered by ICTs, mostly derived from the structural conditions of existing models of decision-making, and information generation and management. It seems that the potentialities of ICTs as transformative tools are conditioned by the regeneration of the context within which decisions are made, that is, the democratic process itself

Pharmacogenetics of osteoporosis: a pathway analysis of the genetic influence on the effects of antiresorptive drugs

Osteoporosis is a skeletal disorder defined by a decreased bone mineral density (BMD) and an increased susceptibility to fractures. Bisphosphonates and selective oestrogen receptor modulators (SERM) are among the most widely used drugs. They inhibit bone resorption by targeting the mevalonate and oestrogen pathways, respectively. The aim of this study was to determine if common variants of genes in those pathways influence drug responses. We studied 192 women treated with oral aminobisphosphonates and 51 with SERMs. Genotypes at 154 SNPs of the mevalonate pathway and 806 in the oestrogen pathway were analyzed. Several SNPs located in genes FDPS and FNTA were associated with the bisphosphonate-induced changes in hip bone mineral density (BMD), whereas polymorphisms of the PDSS1, CYP19A1, CYP1A1, and CYP1A2 genes were associated with SERM-induced changes in spine BMD. After multivariate analyses, genotypes combining genes FDPS and FNTA showed a stronger association with bisphosphonate response (r = 0.34; p = 0.00009), whereas the combination of CYP19A1 and PDSS1 genotypes was associated with the response to SERMs (r = 0.62, p = 0.0003). These results suggest that genotyping genes in these pathways may help predict the response to antiresorptive drugs and hence make personalized therapeutic choices.Funding: Supported by grants from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI18/00762; PI21/00532) that could be cofunded by European Union FEDER funds. Genotyping service was carried out at CEGEN-PRB3-ISCIII; it is supported by grant PT17/0019, of the PE I+D+i 2013–2016, funded by ISCIII and ERDF. Acknowledgments: Alvaro del Real received support by the postdoctoral grant Augusto Gonzalez de Linares of the University of Cantabria. We thank the skilful technical assistance of Carolina Sañudo and Alicia Martin-Rebollo

Naturaleza de las dispensaciones durante el servicio de guardia de fin de semana de las farmacias en la ciudad de Teruel

Introducción: el trabajo que los farmacéuticos y otros profesionales sanitarios realizan durante el servicio de guardia tiene una importancia esencial, ya que asegura la accesibilidad al medicamento, ofreciendo consejo sanitario, seguimiento farmacoterapéutico y apoyo profesional a los pacientes fuera del horario habitual. Objetivo: conocer la naturaleza de las dispensaciones en el servicio de guardia de las farmacias de la ciudad de Teruel durante el fin de semana. Metodología: estudio observacional descriptivo transversal realizado en tres farmacias comunitarias de la ciudad de Teruel. El primer período analizado comprende desde abril hasta junio de 2019 y el segundo en marzo de 2020, durante los cuatro fines de semana que las farmacias estudiadas estaban de guardia. Resultados: de las 4.245 dispensaciones de los fines de semana analizadas en 2019, 1.059 (26,4 %) fueron medicamentos con prescripción realizada por servicios médicos de urgencia; 965 (21,8 %) de fármacos con prescripción crónica; 655 (15,2 %) no tenían prescripción médica de ningún tipo, pero se consideraron necesarios; 1.067 (25,8 %) no tenían prescripción médica y no se consideraron necesarios, y 499 (10,8 %) fueron dispensaciones no ortodoxas. Conclusiones: el patrón de las dispensaciones durante las guardias de las farmacias es constante, independientemente de que el fin de semana sea ordinario, situación especial (Semana Santa) o situación de alarma (“COVID”). El servicio de urgencias farmacéutico no está siendo bien utilizado por la población, ya que el porcentaje de actuaciones farmacéuticas que tiene su origen en una urgencia médica es muy bajo