Classification, characterisation and strategies for improvement of cattle and sheep pasture systems in marginal areas of Southern Chile

Pasture-based livestock systems in farms with medium or low size are especially important in less favored areas and are valuable for society. For these systems to survive, it is necessary to obtain an acceptable level of productivity and ensure commercialization of the products. This study was carried out in the district of Rio Ibáñez, General Carrera Province, in the XI (Aysén) Region of Chile. The sample consisted of 28 small-scale livestock farmers with dual-purpose cattle production; 16 of them also produced sheep for meat. The empirical data produced 55 variables which were subjected to multivariate analysis; three main components were obtained which explain 72.1 % of the variance. By cluster analysis it was obtained four groups with characteristics which varied by farm size, age and personal situation of farmers, farm management and farm profitability. The principal problems found are low productivity in the herds and the poor marketing channels of animals produced. In two groups, due to the low size and poor management, the profitability of the farms is very low and this may compromise their future. To improve production systems, the training and advice of farmers should be strengthened, investment should be supported, especially for young people, and the farmer partnership should be promoted. There is also a need to diversify the families' sources of income (sale of other farm products or handicrafts and touristic activities).Ministerio de Economía de Chile Innova-CORFO Project 11 NTEC 1279

Classification, characterisation and strategies for improvement of cattle and sheep pasture systems in marginal areas of Southern Chile

Pasture-based livestock systems in farms with medium or low size are especially important in less favored areas and are valuable for society. For these systems to survive, it is necessary to obtain an acceptable level of productivity and ensure commercialization of the products. This study was carried out in the district of Rio Ibáñez, General Carrera Province, in the XI (Aysén) Region of Chile. The sample consisted of 28 small-scale livestock farmers with dual-purpose cattle production; 16 of them also produced sheep for meat. The empirical data produced 55 variables which were subjected to multivariate analysis; three main components were obtained which explain 72.1 % of the variance. By cluster analysis it was obtained four groups with characteristics which varied by farm size, age and personal situation of farmers, farm management and farm profitability. The principal problems found are low productivity in the herds and the poor marketing channels of animals produced. In two groups, due to the low size and poor management, the profitability of the farms is very low and this may compromise their future. To improve production systems, the training and advice of farmers should be strengthened, investment should be supported, especially for young people, and the farmer partnership should be promoted. There is also a need to diversify the families' sources of income (sale of other farm products or handicrafts and touristic activities).Ministerio de Economía de Chile Innova-CORFO Project 11 NTEC 1279

TREX-DM: a low background Micromegas-based TPC for low-mass WIMP detection

Dark Matter experiments are recently focusing their detection techniques in low-mass WIMPs, which requires the use of light elements and low energy threshold. In this context, we describe the TREX-DM experiment, a low background Micromegas-based TPC for low-mass WIMP detection. Its main goal is the operation of an active detection mass $\sim$0.3 kg, with an energy threshold below 0.4 keVee and fully built with previously selected radiopure materials. This work describes the commissioning of the actual setup situated in a laboratory on surface and the updates needed for a possible physics run at the Canfranc Underground Laboratory (LSC) in 2016. A preliminary background model of TREX-DM is also presented, based on a Geant4 simulation, the simulation of the detector's response and two discrimination methods: a conservative muon/electron and one based on a neutron source. Based on this background model, TREX-DM could be competitive in the search for low-mass WIMPs. In particular it could be sensitive, e.g., to the low-mass WIMP interpretation of the DAMA/LIBRA and other hints in a conservative scenario.Comment: Proceedings of the XIV International Conference on Topics in Astroparticle and Underground Physics (TAUP 2015), 7-11 September 2015, Torino, Ital

Producción y distribución de los quesos artesanos en Andalucía occidental

En el presente trabajo se presentan los resultados obtenidos de un estudio sobre la producción y la distribución de quesos artesanos, realizado en 4 comarcas de Andalucía occidental: Sierra de Cádiz, Sierra de Aracena, Valle del Guadalhorce y Valle de los Pedroches. La leche de cabra es la que se transforma en mayor cantidad con casi un 80 %, seguida de la de vaca y la de oveja. Los canales de comercialización suelen ser circuitos de radio corto, distribuyendo los productos principalmente en tiendas o supermercados. Para finalizar se exponen algunas acciones de investigación, desarrollo y formación fundamentalmente dirigidas a mejorar el conocimiento de parámetros que afectan a la calidad, potenciar su singularidad (recetas tradicionales) y facilitar su comercialización a través de estudios de percepción de la calidad y hábitos de consumo

The effects of business associations in the export–survival relationship: An application to the DOC Rioja wine industry

Much has been said about the role that business associations play in the survival of firms, but little is known about how this influences the relationship between exports and the survival of firms. Considering the diverging theoretical assumptions about the importance of business associations, we hypothesize in this paper on the direct effect of association membership on the survival of firms, and its moderating effect on the export–survival relationship. For Qualified Designation of Origin (DOC) Rioja wineries, we show that both exporting and association membership have a positive effect on the survival of firms, although association membership reduces the positive effect of exports to survive. These results hold up under alternative survival model specifications. The study explores the complex role of associations in the wine industry, which is important to understand in the context of the current COVID-19 crisis

'Noble throughout': the transformations of the pedal harp in Paris and London, between 1749 and 1811

When Denis Diderot first heard a pedal harp played by Oginski, he was enchanted. The philosopher’s appreciation for the instrument introduces the pedal harp as an object of fascination for the Enlightenment. From the arrival of the first single-action pedal harp in Paris in 1749, to the patenting of the double-action pedal harp in the 1810s, the instrument underwent significant changes making the harp easier to play and more versatile. Several makers offered different versions of the mechanism, while others added to the tonal possibilities. The transformations of the single-action pedal harp paved the way for the development of the double-action pedal harp – patented by Sébastien Erard in London in 1810 and in Paris in 1811 – which remains the standard pedal harp mechanism today. This thesis examines the single-action pedal harp’s place within Paris and London societies during this period. It engages with a musical instrument that was also considered an object of luxury, with a range of economic and social implications. The first chapter explores these issues, detailing the different meanings tied to the pedal harp at the time. The second chapter focuses on the makers of the pedal harp, assessing their lives and careers. It sheds a new light on their role in various networks such as the German Protestant community in eighteenth-century Paris, which helped to sustain their activity, both personally and professionally. The third chapter explores the quest for transformations that harp makers sought to bring to the pedal harp highlighting the processes employed to protect and disseminate their creation. The analysis of each of these transformations outlines their different trajectories, with a focus on the Erard workshop in Paris and London. The pedal harp is foremost a musical instrument, played by musicians, with its own compositions. The fourth and final chapter examines the performance aspect of the pedal harp, and its place in the music of the period. It explores new links between players and harp makers and highlights the careers of musicians often forgotten in music history. Drawing on a variety of sources, this study offers a comprehensive view of a crucial period in the pedal harp’s history. Through the investigation of more than eighty pedal harps spanning the years 1749 to 1810, this study demonstrates the invaluable insights that can be gained from material culture studies when telling the history of a musical instrument. The harps have been studied alongside archival texts, iconography, and music of the period, in order to present the many aspects of their material presence. The instrument emerges here as a prism through which to explore complex issues of labour, market, class, gender, and culture at the time

Determinants of organic wine production: an application in the DOC Rioja wine industry

Aim of study: To analyse the role that valuable resources and agglomeration would play in the decision to produce organic wines. Area of study: The Controlled Designation of Origin (DOC) Rioja wine industry in Spain, the leading qualified denomination of origin of Spain. Material and methods: Taking into account the nature of the dependent variable, a binomial logit model was used. Main results: This paper confirms the significance of valuable resources such as financial resources and human resources, but also of knowledge-based spillovers from proximate organic wineries in improving the probability of producing organic wines. Contrary to expectations, technological resources and experience in the wine industry have no significant effect. Research highlights: The resource based-view and the cluster approach are complementary to improving the predictive elements of producing organic wine in the DOC Rioja wine industry. The authors were unable to pre-register the analysis involving primary data collection before the data collection exercise starts. This requirement is from January 2022 and the survey period of this paper was on 2017. According to the editorial policy of the journal this analysis should be considered exploratory

TREX-DM: a low background Micromegas-based TPC for low mass WIMP detection

Dark Matter experiments are recently focusing their detection techniques in low-mass WIMPs, which requires the use of light elements and low energy threshold. In this context, we present the TREX-DM experiment, a low background Micromegas-based TPC for low-mass WIMP detection. Its main goal is the operation of an active detection mass $\sim$0.300 kg, with an energy threshold below 0.4 keVee and fully built with previously selected radiopure materials. This article describes the actual setup, the first results of the comissioning in Ar+2\%iC$_4$H$_{10}$ at 1.2 bar and the future updates for a possible physics run at the Canfranc Underground Laboratory in 2016. A first background model is also presented, based on Geant4 simulations and a muon/electron discrimination method. In a conservative scenario, TREX-DM could be sensitive to DAMA/LIBRA and other hints of positive WIMPs signals, with some space for improvement with a neutron/electron discrimination method or the use of other light gases.Comment: Proceedings of the 7th Symposium on Large TPCs for Low-Energy Rare Event Detectio