An Analysis of the Main Drivers for ISO 9001 and other Isomorphic Metastandards

Research on the adoption of metastandards (e.g. ISO 9001, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001, SA 8000) has used a variety of theoretical perspectives to identify the main driving forces or motivations. While the majority of existing studies on this subject are of an empirical character with little development of a theoretical framework, there are nonetheless a certain number of noteworthy studies undertaken in the context of a clear and consistent conceptual and theoretical framework, on the basis of which various working hypotheses may be assessed and compared. In this article the main theoretical perspectives for the analysis of the motivations for the adoption of metastandards are reviewed. Furthermore, a short review of the empirical literature dealing with the drivers for ISO 9001, the most promiment metastandard, is carried out, in order to shed light on this issue for both the researchers and practitioners interested in this management tool.international standards; standardization; metastandards; ISO 9001; motivations.

Ídolos tras los altares : la recuperación del México prehispánico y colonial en la obra de Anita Brenner

1 archivo PDF (25 páginas). tyvlxxxii"A pesar de su impronta en algunos de los esquemas ideológicos que explicaron el desarrollo del llamado Renacimiento Mexicano, perdura la necesidad de presentar a Anita Brenner a un público que exceda al iniciado, y descubrir su valor en la cultura del México contemporáneo. El caso de Anita Brenner presenta unos aspectos peculiares que quizá han simplificado o reducido su imagen ante la posteridad. Una vez descubiertas su vida y su obra, es evidente que superan el interés de esas particularidades que la retrataban ya en su momento, y lo siguen haciendo desde nuestra distancia cronológica. Me refiero a su carácter de intelectual mexicana-estadounidense, judía, autora en lengua inglesa, y que vivió buena parte de su vida a ambos lados de la frontera

Alejo Carpentier: las luces del siglo

Alejo Carpentier’s El siglo de las luces [Explosion in a Cathedral] approaches the Eighteenth Century historically and ideologically to discuss issues such as historical progress, utopia and revolution. Literary critics have debated for decades Carpentier’s proposal. Their conclusions can either be divided into those reading the novel as sceptical towards the idea of progress, and those supporting its affiliation with the univocal progress model characteristic of the Enlightened Modernity. These conclusions are generally based on the study of the novel’s narrative structure. This article analyses this matter through a study of the novel’s symbolical level, where the topic of light is organised in allegories expressing Carpentier’s theoretical position on these concepts

Characterization of Factors Predicting a Favorable Opinion of Research Applications Submitted for an Ethical Review Process

Introduction: In Spain, biomedical research applications must receive a positive ethical opinion from Research Ethics Committees (RECs) before being executed. There is limited information on how to optimize the ethical review process to reduce delays. This study was performed to characterize variables predicting favorable opinions at the first ethical review performed by a REC. Material and Methods: The study assessed all research applications revised by a REC in 2019–2020. Data was extracted from REC’s database of La Rioja, Spain. Variables collected covered three areas: (i) principal investigator’s profile; (ii) study design; and (iii) ethical review process. A model based on multiple logistic regression analysis was created to identify variables explaining favorable opinions in first rounds of ethical review processes. Results: The sample included 125 applications (41 submitted in 2019, and 84 in 2020). At the first review, nine (7%) applications were rejected, 56 (45%) were approved, and the remaining 60 (48%) required at least two reviews prior to approval. When comparing both years, a 2-fold increase in the number of applications submitted, and a difference in the ratio of applications with a favorable vs. non-favorable opinion were observed. Furthermore, a model predicted 71% of probability of obtaining a favorable opinion in the first ethical review. Three variables appeared as being explanatory: if the principal investigator is either the group leader or the department’s head (OR = 17.39; p < 0.001), and if the informed consent (OR = 11.79; p = 0.01), and methods and procedures (OR = 34.15; p < 0.001) are well done. Conclusions: These findings confirm an increase in the number of submissions and a difference in the ratio of applications approved by year. Findings observed also confirm deficiencies in “informed consent” and in “methods and procedures” are the two main causes of delay for favorable ethical opinions. Additionally, findings highlight the need that group leaders and heads of departments should be more involved in guiding and supervising their research teams, especially when research applications are led by less experienced researchers. Based on these findings, it is suggested that an adequate mentoring and targeted training in research could derive in more robust research applications and in smoother ethical review processes.Call for Aids - Autonomous Government of La Rioja, Spain COV21-DONAC1/id.proy.1110Rioja Health Foundation FRS-CEIMLAR-202

Life cycle assessment of concentrated solar power (CSP) and the influence of hybridising with natural gas

Purpose Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) plants based on parabolic troughs utilize auxiliary fuels (usually natural gas) to facilitate start-up operations, avoid freezing of HTF and increase power output. This practice has a significant effect on the environmental performance of the technology. The aim of this paper is to quantify the sustainability of CSP and to analyse how this is affected by hybridisation with different natural gas (NG) inputs. Methods A complete Life Cycle (LC) inventory was gathered for a commercial wet-cooled 50 MWe CSP plant based on parabolic troughs. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to evaluate the environmental performance of the plant operating with different NG inputs (between 0 and 35% of gross electricity generation). ReCiPe Europe (H) was used as LCA methodology. CML 2 baseline 2000 World and ReCiPe Europe E were used for comparative purposes. Cumulative Energy Demands (CED) and Energy Payback Times (EPT) were also determined for each scenario. Results and discussion Operation of CSP using solar energy only produced the following environmental profile: climate change 26.6 kg CO2 eq/KWh, human toxicity 13.1 kg 1,4-DB eq/KWh, marine ecotoxicity 276 g 1,4-DB eq/KWh, natural land transformation 0.005 m2/KWh, eutrophication 10.1 g P eq/KWh, acidification 166 g SO2 eq/KWh. Most of these impacts are associated with extraction of raw materials and manufacturing of plant components. The utilization NG transformed the environmental profile of the technology, placing increasing weight on impacts related to its operation and maintenance. Significantly higher impacts were observed on categories like climate change (311 kg CO2 eq/MWh when using 35 % NG), natural land transformation, terrestrial acidification and fossil depletion. Despite its fossil nature, the use of NG had a beneficial effect on other impact categories (human and marine toxicity, freshwater eutrophication and natural land transformation) due to the higher electricity output achieved. The overall environmental performance of CSP significantly deteriorated with the use of NG (single score 3.52 pt in solar only operation compared to 36.1 pt when using 35 % NG). Other sustainability parameters like EPT and CED also increased substantially as a result of higher NG inputs. Quasilinear second-degree polynomial relationships were calculated between various environmental performance parameters and NG contributions. Conclusions Energy input from auxiliary NG determines the environmental profile of the CSP plant. Aggregated analysis shows a deleterious effect on the overall environmental performance of the technology as a result of NG utilization. This is due primarily to higher impacts on environmental categories like climate change, natural land transformation, fossil fuel depletion and terrestrial acidification. NG may be used in a more sustainable and cost-effective manner in combined cycle power plants, which achieve higher energy conversion efficiencies

Consumo de macrófitas acuáticas por la Tagua común Fulica armillata (Aves: Rallidae) en un humedal costero del centro norte de Chile

The Red-gartered Coot&nbsp;Fulica armillata, is a common herbivorous water bird in coastal wetlands of the southern Neotropical region. Microhistological analyses of feces collected at the coastal wetland of Punta Teatinos (north central Chile; ~29ºS), show that this coot feeds predominantly on&nbsp;Stuckenia pectinata, the most abundant submerged macrophyte at this area. The foraging behavior of&nbsp;F. armillata&nbsp;is discussed in regard with its ecological role as a primary consumer on coastal wetlands.La Tagua común&nbsp;Fulica armillata, es un ave acuática herbívora común en los humedales costeros del extremo sur de la región del Neotrópico. Análisis microhistológicos de fecas recolectadas en el humedal de Punta Teatinos (centro norte de Chile; ~29ºS) indican que esta tagua consume primariamente a&nbsp;Stuckenia pectinata, la macrófita sumergida más abundante en esta área. Se discute el comportamiento de forrajeo de&nbsp;F. armillata&nbsp;con respecto a su rol ecológico como consumidor primario en humedales costeros

Inhibition of the adenylylation of liver plasma membrane-bound proteins by plant and mammalian lectins

Liver plasma membrane contains four major (130-kDa, 120-kDa, 110-kDa and 100-kDa) sialic acid-containing glycopolypeptides that are able to undergo adenylylation, as well as phosphorylation (San José et al. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265; 20653-20661). To gain insight into the regulation of these processes, lectins are employed to probe the extent of influence of their interaction with membrane fractions for these reactions. We demonstrate that the beta-galactoside-specific lectins from bovine heart and mistletoe at low concentrations inhibit the adenylylation of this set of plasma membrane glycopolypeptides. The extent of phosphorylation of these polypeptides is also reduced although to a lesser degree. Concanavalin A, too, inhibits the adenylylation of the plasma membrane glycopolypeptides, although higher concentrations of this lectin were required, whereas wheat germ lectin has only a very small inhibitory effect. The adenylylable polypeptides were isolated by concanavalin A-agarose chromatography upon elution with mannose. In agreement with this result, control experiments with a panel of neoglycoproteins indicate that mannose residues appear to be required for the concanavalin A-induced inhibition of the adenylylation. Neoglycoproteins containing mannose 6-phosphate, lactose, fucose, or sialic acid instead of mannose lack the ability to protect the adenylylation from the inhibitory action of concanavalin A. In contrast, none of the above-mentioned neoglycoproteins, nor asialofetuin, nor galactose-containing saccharides protect the adenylylation against the inhibitory effect of both the mistletoe and bovine heart lectins, emphasizing the importance of either high affinity carbohydrate ligands in the overall process, or other ligand sites for the lectins beside carbohydrates to affect the regulation of the adenylylation system.This work was supported in part by grants (to A.V.) from the Dirección General de Investigación Científica y Técnica (PB 89-0079). and from the Consejería de Educación de la Comunidad de Madrid (C174-90 and 366/92) Spain, grants (to H.-J.G.) from the Dr. M. Scheel-Stiftung für Krebsforschung and the BMFT program Alternative Methoden der Krebsbekämpfung, Germany, and the Acciones Imegradas (42A) between Germany and Spain (to H.-J.G. andA.V.). E.S.J. is the recipient of a predoctoral fellowship from the Departamento de Educación, Universidades e Investigación del Gobierno Vasco.Peer Reviewe

Compraventa internacional de mercaderias. De la responsabilidad de los contratantes

66 p.La Convención de Viena de 1980, el marco regulador de la Compraventa Internacional de Mercaderías, este trabajo analiza la responsabilidad que le cabe a los contratantes que se vinculan a través de ella, a través de una investigación jurídica dogmática. En este contrato las consecuencias del no cumplimiento tienen características que hacen de la Convención un texto nuevo y moderno en comparación con la tradicional visión subjetiva de la responsabilidad imperante en el derecho común de nuestro país. El incremento del comercio internacional y la utilización de esta normativa por los comerciantes nacionales, no ha ido a la par con su estudio por parte de la doctrina. Este trabajo da a conocer las obligaciones y responsabilidades de los contratantes, confirmar reglas que protejan la buena fe, entre otras, de manera de ser un aporte significativo a la doctrina nacional como a los comerciantes y sobre todo a los estudiantes