Barriers to Innovation and Public Policy in Catalonia.

The present paper analyses the link between firms’ decisions to innovate and the barriers that prevent them from being innovative. The aim is twofold. First, it analyses three groups of barriers to innovation: the cost of innovation projects, lack of knowledge and market conditions. Second, it presents the main steps taken by Catalan Government to promote the creation of new firms and to reduce barriers to innovation. The data set used is based on the 2004 official innovation survey of Catalonia which was taken from the Spanish CIS-4 sample. This sample includes individual information on 2,954 Catalan firms in manufacturing industries and knowledge-intensive services (KIS). The empirical analysis reveals pronounced differences regarding a firm’s propensity to innovate and its perception of barriers. Moreover, the results show that cost and knowledge barriers seem to be the most important and that there are substantial sectoral differences in the way that firms react to barriers. The results of this paper have important implications for the design of future public policy to promote entrepreneurship and innovation together.Obstacles to innovation, Industrial policy, Innovation system

Determinants of the duration of sick leave due to occupational injuries: evidence from Spanish manufacturing

Introduction: Despite the significant economic impact of occupational injuries on companies and society, studies focused on analyzing the determinants of workdays lost due to sick leave remain scarce and incomplete. This paper contributes to this issue by (a) analyzing the drivers of sick leave duration, distinguishing factors that explain the health recovery time from those that could lead workers to a voluntary extension of the absence period, and (b) formulating and empirically testing the effect of gender, citizenship, temporary work, job tenure, amount of disability benefit, and size of the injured worker's firm on the number of days the employee is off work after the injury. Method: Hypotheses are tested on a comprehensive dataset that includes all nonfatal occupational injuries causing sick leave that occurred in the manufacturing sector in Spain during 2015¿2019, with more than 400,000 injuries. We conduct ordinary least squares and count data regression models in which the number of days off work is regressed on employees and work characteristics while accounting for a set of variables to control the injury's nature and severity. Results: The results show that after considering the intrinsic characteristics of the injury and the severity of the worker's injuries, women, native workers, workers with more seniority, workers with higher salaries, and those working in larger companies have longer periods of sick leave. The results suggest that moral hazard considerations significantly impact the time to return to work after an occupational injury. Practical applications: Based on the findings, several insights for company managers and public decision-makers are discussed. Specifically, interventions aimed at improving the organization of work and the working conditions of workers in manufacturing industries are highlighted, as well as the need to improve control and supervision mechanisms during the recovery process of injured workers.The authors acknowledge financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, Grant PID2020-114460GB-C32 funded by MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033. Open access funding provided by Universidad Pública de Navarra

Viabilidad de los aparcamientos sobre rasante frente a los bajo rasante

This writing is intended to highlight the differences and economic resources between a parking lot built in two different situations; underground and above ground. To do so, is designed a model more integrated as possible in a specific urban reality with benefits and same construction characteristics, except those bound by its situation, so that they can be compared according to the theory of the global cost in construction area. So, has been implemented the model designed in two situations, underground and above ground, and studied and compared the costs of investment, exploitation, demolition and recycling, as well as a first assessment evaluation of the resources needed for the implementation of the same ones, with a 50-year life cycle.En este trabajo se pretende poner de manifiesto las diferencias económicas y de recursos entre un aparcamiento construido en dos situaciones distintas; bajo rasante y sobre rasante. Para ello, se ha diseñado un modelo lo más integrado posible en una realidad urbanística concreta, con prestaciones y características constructivas iguales, salvo las obligadas por su situación, de forma que puedan ser comparados a la luz de la teoría del coste global en edificación. Así, se ha implantado el modelo diseñado en las dos situaciones, bajo rasante y sobre rasante, y estudiado y comparado los costes de inversión, explotación, demolición y reciclaje. Se ha realizado también una primera evaluación de los recursos necesarios para la ejecución de los mismos, para un ciclo de vida de 50 años

Optimization of multiple receivers solar power tower systems

In this article a new procedure to optimize the design of a Multiple Receivers Solar Power Tower system is presented. The proposed procedure allows to optimize the different receivers (height, aperture tilt angle, azimuth angle and aperture size) as well as the heliostat field layout, seeking to minimize the levelized cost of thermal energy. The optimization problem is high dimensional, with a black-box nonconvex objective function that is hard to compute. Our method is based on an alternating greedy-based heuristic method, already used by the authors to design a system with a single receiver, which simultaneously optimizes the receivers and the heliostat field. The proposed procedure allows one to determine the overall number of heliostats, their locations and the aiming region of each field.Abengoa Solar New TechnologiesInstituto de Matemáticas de la Universidad de SevillaMinisterio de Ciencia e InnovaciónMinisterio de Economía y CompetitividadJunta de AndalucíaEuropean Unio

Identification and evaluation of fair play behaviors in juvenile football Cadiz

Objetivo: analizar las conductas deportivas y antideportivas de jugadores de fútbol de categoría alevín (10-12 años de edad) y las sanciones de éstos y sus entrenadores. Metodología: se han observado a treinta equipos en quince partidos (1050 minutos). Se ha utilizado una herramienta observacional y el análisis de documentos. Resultados: los resultados revelan interesantes consideraciones a tener presente en el fútbol base: primera, los entrenadores son el colectivo que más sanciones recibe; segunda, la mayoría de las conductas pro deportivas se producen antes de iniciar el partido con el saludo inicial, mientras que durante el juego el número es muy reducido; tercera, tan solo la mitad de los equipos se despiden del oponente al finalizar el encuentro; cuarta, los jugadores no suelen reaccionar deportivamente al realizar una falta; y quinta, las principales conductas antideportivas se vinculan con el árbitro, al protestarle o tratar de engañarle. Implicaciones: el deporte en edad escolar ha de aproximarse al deporte educativo, los entrenadores ser un buenos modelos para sus jugadores y los futbolistas manifestar actuaciones prodeportivas como: “levantar la mano” –para reconocer la falta- o “dar la mano” -para disculparse, ayudar al jugador lesionado, reconocer la victoria o ser cortes con el perdedor.Objective: To analyse sportsmanlike and unsportsmanlike conduct of football players in juvenile category (aged from 10-12), as well as sanctioning of players and their trainers. Methodology: Observation of thirty teams during fifteen football games (1050 minutes) has been conducted. Tools used in process of research were observation and study of documents. Results: Results reveal some interesting considerations to have in mind in Grassroots Football: (1) the trainers are the group that is sanctioned most frequently, (2) majority of sportsmanlike behaviour, such as initial greeting occurs before starting the game, while during the game it is not as recurrent, (3) only half of the teams says goodbye to their opponents after the match, (4) players usually do not react sportsmanlike when they commit a foul and (5) major unsportsmanlike conduct is linked to the referees, either due to protesting to their ruling or by trying to deceive them. Implications: Sports at young age should be educational, trainers should be good role models to their players and football player should exhibit sportsmanship. Mentioned can be displayed by raising their hand to acknowledge their foul or offering their hand in order to apologize, help the injured player, accept victory praise or be courteous to the defeated player.peerReviewe

An optimization tool to design the field of a solar power tower plant allowing heliostats of different sizes

The design of a Solar Power Tower plant involves the optimization of the heliostat field layout. Fields are usually designed to have all heliostats of identical size. Although the use of a single heliostat size has been questioned in the literature, there are no tools to design fields with heliostats of several sizes at the same time. In this paper, the problem of optimizing the heliostat field layout of a system with heliostats of different sizes is addressed. We present an optimization tool to design solar plants allowing two heliostat sizes. The methodology is illustrated with a particular example considering different heliostat costs.Ministerio de Economía y CompetitividadJunta de AndalucíaGobierno VascoUnión Europe

A heuristic method for simultaneous tower and pattern-free field optimization on solar power systems

A heuristic method for optimizing a solar power tower system is proposed, in which both heliostat field (heliostat locations and number) and the tower (tower height and receiver size) are simultaneously considered. Maximizing the thermal energy collected per unit cost leads to a difficult optimization problem due to its characteristics: it has a nonconvex black-box objective function with computationally expensive evaluation and nonconvex constraints. The proposed method sequentially optimizes the field layout for a given tower configuration and then, the tower design is optimized for the previously obtained field layout. A greedy-based heuristic algorithm is presented to address the heliostat location problem. This algorithm follows a pattern-free method. The only constraints to be considered are: the field region and the nonconvex constraints (which allow heliostats to not collide). The absence of a geometrical pattern to design the field and the simultaneous optimization of the field and the tower designs make this approach different from the existing ones. Our method is compared against other proposals in the literature of heliostat field optimization.Abengoa Solar New TechnologiesInstituto de Matemáticas (Universidad de Sevilla)Ministerio de Economía y CompetitividadJunta de AndalucíaEuropean Cooperation in Science and Technolog

El conjunto eficiente en problemas de localización con normas mixtas (L p)

En el presente trabajo establecemos una nueva aproximación a la solución del problema de localización con normas mixtas a través de lasdirecciones de proyección. Probamos que el cierre octogonal de los puntos de demanda es una buena aproximación para el conjunto de puntos eficientes cuando el problema está formulado como un problema multiobjetivo con normas mixtas tipol p. Demostramos que esta cota es alcanzable, dando condiciones para que ello ocurra, lo que es de gran importancia para el caso de que los patrones de distancia estén distribuidos al azar.In this paper we give a new approach to the efficient set for multiobjective location problems with mixed norms throughprojection directions. We show that the octogonal hull of the demand points is a good approximation for the efficient set when the norms belong to the family ofl p norms. We also show that this bound may be reached, and give conditions for that. This of great interest if distance patrans are randomly distributed

Barriers to innovation and public policy in Catalonia

The present paper analyses the link between firms' decisions to innovate and the barriers that prevent them from being innovative. The aim is twofold. First, it analyses three groups of barriers to innovation: the cost of innovation projects, lack of knowledge and market conditions. Second, it presents the main steps taken by Catalan Government to promote the creation of new firms and to reduce barriers to innovation. The data set used is based on the 2004 official innovation survey of Catalonia which was taken from the Spanish CIS-4 sample. This sample includes individual information on 2,954 Catalan firms in manufacturing industries and knowledge-intensive services (KIS). The empirical analysis reveals pronounced differences regarding a firm's propensity to innovate and its perception of barriers. Moreover, the results show that cost and knowledge barriers seem to be the most important and that there are substantial sectoral differences in the way that firms react to barriers. The results of this paper have important implications for the design of future public policy to promote entrepreneurship and innovation together

Estructuras de fábrica: enfoques «antiguos» y «modernos» para fenómenos muy locales

The characterization of the material as a discontinuous media is proposed to study strongly local phenomena in the behaviour of historical masonry structures. Three methods are implemented: an experimental method, photoelastic, and two numerical methods, heterogeneous finite elements and rigid blocks in unilateral contact. Qualitative comparison of the results shows that the random irregularities in the contact between bodies play an important role in explaining local behaviour of masonry. Quantitative comparison with the results of load tests previously performed on dry masonry walls support this hypothesis. The results are very encouraging and suggest that it is necessary to develop approaches of this kind –approaches that, although relatively common in the field of granular media, have been very scarce in the field of historic masonry structures.Para estudiar ciertos fenómenos de comportamiento local en las estructuras históricas de fábrica se propone la caracterización del material como un medio discontinuo. Se implementan tres métodos: uno experimental, fotoelástico, y dos numéricos, elementos finitos heterogéneos y bloques rígidos en contacto unilateral. De la comparación cualitativa de los resultados se deduce que las irregularidades aleatorias en el contacto entre piezas desempeñan un importante papel en la explicación del comportamiento local de la fábrica. La comparación cuantitativa con los resultados de ensayos de carga realizados previamente sobre muros aparejados en seco apoyan esta hipótesis. Los resultados obtenidos son muy esperanzadores y hacen pensar que es necesario profundizar en el desarrollo de enfoques de este tipo que, aún siendo relativamente comunes en el campo de los medios granulares, han sido muy escasos en el campo de las estructuras históricas de fábrica