Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems in the Mediterranean City: Barcelona as an example

El presente artículo analiza la implantación y desarrollo de los SUDS en Barcelona a través de algunas de las obras realizadas entre el 2005 y 2019 por el Instituto Municipal de Urbanismo (IMU). Estos Sistemas, materializados en obras de urbanización como la del barrio de Bon Pastor o el nuevo eje verde de Cristóbal de Moura, ponen a prueba modos de entender el metabolismo urbano en lo que atañe al ciclo del agua. El objetivo es no alterar de forma sustancial este ciclo hidrológico natural previo a la construcción de la urbe, a través de métodos sencillos como lo es el de incrementar la superficie vegetada y permeable dentro de los nuevos terrenos a urbanizar y o los existentes a remodelar. Esta forma de reconstruir el ciclo hidrológico, a través de la naturalización del paisaje urbano contribuye, junto con otros muchos beneficios de innegable valor, a crear espacios saludables para sus habitantes y aumentar la calidad del entorno en su sentido más amplio. Si nos parásemos a pensar en los recorridos del agua en la actualidad de nuestras ciudades, se hace difícil entender por qué el agua de lluvia, relativamente limpia en origen, se mezcla con las aguas residuales en los sistemas unitarios, aumentando considerablemente el volumen de aguas contaminadas que se vierten a los medios naturales sin depurar, o por el contrario, interceptándose en la depuradora para despojarse de la contaminación que no contenía en su origen, con los unos enormes costes económicos y energéticos. El problema no reside en que no hayamos conseguido definir según la voluntad los recorridos del agua, sino que la comodidad de lo inmediato y la falta de visión nos han impedido entender que la ciudad, a pesar de ser un artificio, puede respetar el ciclo natural del agua así como otros ciclos naturales.The present article analyses the impact and development of SUDS in Barcelona on the basis of a series of works performed between 2005 and 2018 by the IMU (Municipal Town Planning Institute). These systems, materialized in urbanization works such as Bon Pastor quarter or the new green axis of Cristóbal de Moura, pilot new ways of understanding urban metabolism regarding the water cycle. Their objective is to avoid altering substantially this natural hydrological cycle before to the construction of the city, by means of simple methods like increasing green and permeable surfaces within both the new pieces of land to be urbanized and the existing ones to be remodelled. This way of rebuilding the water cycle through the naturalization of the urban landscape contributes, together with many other benefits of undeniable value, to create spaces which are healthy for their inhabitants and to increase the quality of the environment in its broadest sense. If we stopped to think on present-day water flows in our cities, it is difficult to understand why rain water, which is originally relatively clean, mixes with wastewater in the unitary systems, considerably increasing the amount of polluted water which is discharged into the environment without any previous treatment, or, on the contrary, it reaches the treatment plant to be stripped of the pollution it did not initially contain, with huge economic and energy costs. The problem does not lay on the fact that we have not managed to define the water flow at our will, but in the comfort that immediacy provides and the lack of vision that has prevented us from understanding that the city, though artificial, can respect the natural water cycles, as well as other natural cycles

Guideline for constructing nutrient balance in historical agricultural systemes (and its application to three case-studies in southern Spain)

The purpose of this paper is to provide interested researchers with a simple tool to evaluate the efficacy of different methods of fertility replenishment that have accompanied and made possible the contemporary agriculture. We propose a nutrient balance model created especially to be applied to the past. In the first part of this working paper each term in the balance is defined and specified the information the user must input into the model. The second part of this paper reports on the application of this methodology based on the balances of nutrients to the evolution of Andalusian agriculture since the mid 18th Century. The nutrient balances show the effects of agrarian growth in an environmentally limited context, offering reasonable doubt regarding the medium and long-term stability of certain forms of cultivation. The balances show that in the last decades of the 19th Century, productive intensification had reached its ceiling, with livestock numbers levelling off or clearly declining. The deficits of nutrients even began to exceed the fertilisation capacity of the available livestock. The intensification applied in unfertilised rotations and crops had to be sustained through the extraction of soil reserves.Soil fertility management, Nutrient balances, Past organic agricultures, Agrarian growth, Socio-ecological transition, Agricultural change

Guideline for constructing nutrient balance in historical agricultural systems (and its application to three case-studies in southern Spain)

The purpose of this paper is to provide interested researchers with a simple tool to evaluate the efficacy of different methods of fertility replenishment that have accompanied and made possible the contemporary agriculture. We propose a nutrient balance model created especially to be applied to the past. In the first part of this working paper each term in the balance is defined and specified the information the user must input into the model. The second part of this paper reports on the application of this methodology based on the balances of nutrients to the evolution of Andalusian agriculture since the mid 18th Century. The nutrient balances show the effects of agrarian growth in an environmentally limited context, offering reasonable doubt regarding the medium and long-term stability of certain forms of cultivation. The balances show that in the last decades of the 19th Century, productive intensification had reached its ceiling, with livestock numbers levelling off or clearly declining. The deficits of nutrients even began to exceed the fertilisation capacity of the available livestock. The intensification applied in unfertilised rotations and crops had to be sustained through the extraction of soil reserves

The Social Metabolism of Spanish Agriculture, 1900–2008

This open access book provides a panoramic view of the evolution of Spanish agriculture from 1900 to the present, offering a more diverse picture to the complex and multidimensional reality of agrarian production. With a clear transdisciplinary ambition, the book applies an original and innovative theoretical and methodological tool, termed Agrarian Social Metabolism, combining Social Metabolism with an agroecological perspective. This integrative analysis is especially interesting for environmental scientists and policy makers being the best way to design sustainable agroecosystems and public policies capable of moving us towards a more sustainable food system. Spanish agricultural production has experienced impressive growth during the 20th century which has allowed it to ensure the supply of food to the population and even to transform some crops into important chapters in foreign trade. However, this growth has had its negative side since it was based on the injection of large amounts of external energy, on the destruction of employment and the loss of profitability of agricultural activity. But perhaps the most serious part is the strong impact of the current industrialised agriculture model on Spanish agroecosystems, exposed to the overexploitation of hydric resources, pollution of the water by nitrates and pesticides, high erosion rates and an alarming loss of biodiversity; damage which in the immediate future will end up reducing production capacity

Agroecological Practices on Private Farms in the Province of Camagüey, Cuba.

The aim of this research was to gather together the dairy farms of the José Antonio Echeverría Strengthened Coop-erative of Credits and Services (CCSF) in the province of Camaguey, Cuba, according to the frequency of application or no application of agroecological practices, and their relationship to some bioproductive variables of economic interest. Information compiled for three years was used. Three groups were made, based on hierarchical clustering analysis. The grouping system used was the link between groups. The measure criteria used was the squared Euclid-ean distance  from agroecological practices by the farmers. SPSS 21.0 was  used for statistical analysis.  The groups made were considered the factor to perform variance analysis (ANOVA) to with eight dependent variables. The Tukey´s multiple comparison test was made to the variables that showed differences for P < 0.05. A total of seven out of ten agroecological practices applied with effects  on the behavior of bioproductive indicators were identified. Group three included the farms with the best results, and the highest number of agroecological practices

Can a voice assistant help bystanders save lives? A feasibility pilot study chatbot in beta version to assist OHCA bystanders

Objective: Evaluating the usefulness of a chat bot as an assistant during CPR care by laypersons. Methods: Twenty-one university graduates and university students naive in basic life support participated in this quasi-experimental simulation pilot trial. A version beta chatbot was designed to guide potential bystanders who need help in caring for cardiac arrest victims. Through a Question-Answering (Q&A) flowchart, the chatbot uses Voice Recognition Techniques to transform the user's audio into text. After the transformation, it generates the answer to provide the necessary help through machine and deep learning algorithms. A simulation test with a Laerdal Little Anne manikin was performed. Participants initiated the chatbot, which guided them through the recognition of a cardiac arrest event. After recognizing the cardiac arrest, the chatbot indicated the start of chest compressions for 2 min. Evaluation of the cardiac arrest recognition sequence was done via a checklist and the quality of CPR was collected with the Laerdal Instructor App. Results: 91% of participants were able to perform the entire sequence correctly. All participants checked the safety of the scene and made sure to call 112. 62% place their hands on the correct compression point. A media time of 158 s (IQR: 146–189) was needed for the whole process. 33% of participants achieved high-quality CPR with a median of 60% in QCPR (IQR: 9–86). Compression depth had a median of 42 mm (IQR: 33–53) and compression rate had a median of 100 compressions/min (IQR: 97–100). Conclusion: The use of a voice assistant could be useful for people with no previous training to perform de out-of-hospital cardiac arrest recognition sequence. Chatbot was able to guide all participants to call 112 and to perform continuous chest compressions. The first version of the chatbot for potential bystanders naive in basic life support needs to be further developed to reduce response times and be more effective in giving feedback on chest compressionsS

Competencias asociadas a la Atención a la diversidad y la inclusión: perspectiva del profesorado de Educación Infantil

Inclusive education should promote the existence of a variety of learning opportunities that facilitate the child's participation in activities with adults and peers and the necessary supports for all of this to occur. In this process, teachers have a strategic role in promoting practices that promote attention to diversity. Therefore, the skills they present at the didactic, organizational, communicative and integrative levels will be key to favor and not limit learning and participation in the classroom. Similarly, collaboration with early intervention services will be essential to support the student in a comprehensive manner. The study presented here has been carried out by knowing the perception of 68 teachers in Spain through the application of an ad hoc questionnaire. The results obtained highlight that the role of the teacher in nursery schools is fundamental, in addition to the development of various competencies that help to detect warning signs in the child, to intervene adequately with their students in a personalized way and to prioritize coordination with the CDIAT and its professionals, to offer more security and empowerment to the teacher in their educational work.La educación inclusiva debe promover la existencia de una variedad de oportunidades de aprendizaje que faciliten la participación del menor en actividades con los adultos y los compañeros y de los apoyos necesarios para que todo ello se produzca. En este proceso, los profesores tienen una función estratégica en la promoción de prácticas que promuevan la atención a la diversidad. Por tanto, las competencias que presenten a nivel didáctico, organizativo, comunicativo e integrativo serán clave para favorecer y no limitar el aprendizaje y la participación en el aula. Del mismo modo, la colaboración con los servicios de Atención Temprana será fundamental para apoyar al alumno de forma integral. El estudio que se presenta se ha llevado a cabo conociendo la percepción de 68 profesores de España a través de la aplicación de un cuestionario adhoc. En los resultados obtenidos destacan que el papel del docente en las escuelas infantiles es fundamental, además de que desarrolle variadas competencias que le ayuden a detectar signos de alarma en el menor, a intervenir adecuadamente a su alumnado de manera personalizada y siendo prioritaria la coordinación con el CDIAT y sus profesionales, para ofrecer más seguridad y empoderamiento al docente en su labor educativa

Performing simulated basic life support without seeing: blind vs. blindfolded people

Previous pilot experience has shown the ability of visually impaired and blind people (BP) to learn basic life support (BLS), but no studies have compared their abilities with blindfolded people (BFP) after participating in the same instructor-led, real-time feedback training. Twenty-nine BP and 30 BFP participated in this quasi-experimental trial. Training consisted of a 1 h theoretical and practical training session with an additional 30 min afterwards, led by nurses with prior experience in BLS training of various collectives. Quantitative quality of chest compressions (CC), AED use and BLS sequence were evaluated by means of a simulation scenario. BP’s median time to start CC was less than 35 s. Global and specific components of CC quality were similar between groups, except for compression rate (BFP: 123.4 + 15.2 vs. BP: 110.8 + 15.3 CC/min; p = 0.002). Mean compression depth was below the recommended target in both groups, and optimal CC depth was achieved by 27.6% of blind and 23.3% of blindfolded people (p = 0.288). Time to discharge was significantly longer in BFP than BP (86.0 + 24.9 vs. 66.0 + 27.0 s; p = 0.004). Thus, after an adapted and short training program, blind people were revealed to have abilities comparable to those of blindfolded people in learning and performing the BLS sequence and CCS

Embodied energy in agricultural inputs. Incorporating a historical perspective

Este documento de trabajo analiza la energía asociada a los inputs agrarios en perspectiva histórica. El estudio se basa en una amplia revisión bibliográfica, que se ha complementado con estimaciones propias para crear una base de datos coherente que incluye toda la energía directa e indirecta asociada a los principales insumos agrícolas con el máximo nivel de desagregación posible. Estos insumos incluyen mano de obra, vectores energéticos como combustibles y electricidad, materiales, maquinaria, fertilizantes y pesticidas de síntesis, insumos orgánicos, material de propagación, insumos asociados al regadío, edificaciones, invernaderos, transporte y servicios no materiales. Para cada insumo se describe su evolución histórica desde la perspectiva energética, las metodologías más comúnmente empleadas en la literatura para el cálculo de su energía asociada, y se proporcionan series temporales sobre la evolución de esta energía. Las series temporales incluyen todo el siglo XX y la primera década del siglo XXI, y están expresadas en cortes decenales. Los valores ofrecidos son promedios globales o referidos a las principales regiones productoras. Los resultados muestran los grandes cambios que han ocurrido en la eficiencia energética de la producción de insumos agrícolas, subrayando la necesidad de emplear coeficientes dinámicos en el análisis energético de la evolución histórica de los sistemas agrícolas.This working paper analyzes the energy embodied in agricultural inputs from a historical perspective. The study is based on a wide literature review, which has been complemented with own estimations in order to create a coherent database including all direct and indirect energy associated to the main agricultural inputs with the maximum possible level of disaggregation. The inputs studied include human labour, energy carriers such as fuels and electricity, materials, machinery, synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, organic inputs, propagation material, irrigation inputs, buildings, greenhouses, transport and non-material services. For each input we describe its historical evolution from an energetic perspective, the most common methods used for the calculation of its embodied energy published in the literature and temporal data series on the historical evolution of this energy. The temporal data series are expressed in 10-year time-steps and, in the majority of cases, they cover the whole 20th century and the first decade of the 21st century. The values provided are global averages or covering the main producing regions. The results show the large changes that have occurred in the energy efficiency of the production of agricultural inputs, underlining the need for the use of dynamic coefficients in historical energy analyses of agricultural systems

The geological guide of the Teide National Park: a case of educational geological guidebook

El Instituto Geológico y Minero de España, con la colaboración del Organismo Autónomo Parques Nacionales, ha iniciado la edición de una nueva serie de carácter didáctico-divulgativo: las Guías Geológicas de Parques Nacionales, con el fin de atender la demanda social de guías geológicas de los principales espacios naturales protegidos. La Guía Geológica del Parque Nacional del Teide es la primera de esta serie. El texto contiene una descripción de las principales formaciones volcánicas que conforman el parque y su entorno, así como de los eventos volcánicos más relevantes y de la historia geológica del Parque Nacional y de la isla de Tenerife, en el contexto de las islas Canarias. Una parte sustancial de la guía la compone la descripción de varios itinerarios geológicos. La guía incluye un mapa geológico y otro geomorfológico representados sobre un modelo de sombras elaborado a partir del Modelo Digital del Terreno (MDT).The Geological Survey of Spain (IGME) with de cooperation of the National Park Authorities has started the edition of a new tourist guidebook series: the National Park Geological Guidebooks. This new series intends to answer the growing social demand of geological guides in natural protected areas. The geological guide of the Teide National Park has been the first published volume of this series. A major part of the guide includes the description of main volcanic formations in the park and surrounding areas. A second part is devoted to the description of volcanic regional events and the geological history of the National Park area and the island of Tenerife, within the context of Canary Islands. A third, relevant part of the guide includes a description of some selected geological itineraries. The guide also includes a geological and a geomorphological map of the Park.Depto. de Mineralogía y PetrologíaFac. de Ciencias GeológicasTRUEpu