The MODERE Model and The Economic Analysis of Farmers’ Decisions

The MODERE, the Ministry of the Environment Irrigation Decision Model, is a simulation tool which uses mathematical programming methods to reveal the implicit multiattribute objective function lying behind the observed cropping decision. The model takes different criteria such as profit maximization, risk aversion, avoidance of management complexities and so forth into account. In order to determine the feasible combination of attributes of this objective function the model considers the production possibility frontier explicitly as depending on market prices, policy incentives, availability of production factors, water irrigation facilities agronomic vocation and other constraints. Once calibrated the model becomes a powerful tool to assess the impact of different policy scenarios such as subsidies decoupling, water prices modifications, irrigation technique substitution and so on. The MODERE is a preference revelation model purposedly designed to be integrated in the Decision Support Platform which is used by the Spanish Ministry of the Environment to compare the policy scenarios which are relevant to assess the effectiveness and economic impact of the measures designed to reach the environmental objectives of the Water Framework Directive. The model is supported by a comprehensive data base built on purpose for its implementation covering almost all the Spanish Irrigation Districts with high spatial detail. This model is currently one of the important modules of the information and decision support systems developed by the Economic Analysis Unit of the Water Directorate at the Ministry of the Environment in Spain.Agricultural Economics, Water Economics, Simulated Models, Land Economics/Use, Political Economy, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Enhancing Irrigation Efficiency but Increasing Water Use: The Jevons' Paradox

In this paper we analyze the conditions under which increasing technical efficiency of water use in the agricultural sector might not reduce water demand and pressures on water ecosystems. Departing from this basic problem we discuss how policy measures performed to enhance water productivity in the agriculture might be transformed into effective alternatives to improve the conservation of water resources and then guarantee the successful implementation of the Water Framework Directive. A preference revelation model is presented in the third section of the paper and one empirical application to an irrigation district in southern Spain is used in the fourth section to discuss the effectiveness of water savings measures.Water Framework Directive, Water Economics, Agricultural Economics, Simulation Models, Preference Revelation., Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Economic regional impacts of water transfers: the role of factor mobility in a case study of the agricultural sector in the Balearic Islands

Using a CGE model for the Balearic Islands, we simulate the effects of an agricultural water market in the farming sector facing reductions in the water endowment. The market lessens the negative effects on farming communities of short-term water restrictions associated with cyclical droughts. However, in scenarios of permanent reductions, such as those envisaged by global warming predictions or those that result from the implementation of the European Water Framework Directive, a water market may aggravate the negative effects of water shortage. Therefore, the paper shows that generalizations cannot be made about the effects of water markets on farming communities.Agricultural and Food Policy, Environmental Economics and Policy, D58, Q1, Q25, R13,

Studies on aquatic fungi in Dikarya: A review of the literature from Southern Cone of South America

A bibliographic analysis was carried out to update the state of knowledge about aquatic fungi belonging to the subkingdom Dikarya in the Southern Cone of South America. The exhaustive search resulted in 38 articles reported. These papers correspond to those on taxonomic, ecological and biogeographic topics and include studies from lotic environments of the temperate ecoregions of Chile and Argentina. A total of 325 aquatic fungal taxa were reported, of which 318 belong to the phylum Ascomycota and 7 to the phylum Basidiomycota. According to the subgroups of these aquatic fungi 17 taxa were aero-aquatic, 199 facultative and 109 Ingoldian fungi. Regarding the methodologies, in these studies the information was obtained mainly by using lignocellulosic substrates such as leaf litter and wood as fungal source and wet chamber traditional working technique. However, more studies are still needed using other few-reported perspectives for the region such as ecological and molecular approaches as well as analyses of water environments belonging to unexplored biomes. This information can contribute to a better understanding of aquatic fungal communities and their role in ecosystems of the Southern Cone of South America.Fil: Tarda, Alan Santiago. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Limnología "Dr. Raúl A. Ringuelet". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Instituto de Limnología; ArgentinaFil: Saparrat, Mario Carlos Nazareno. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestales, Universidad Nacional de la Plata; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Instituto de Fisiología Vegetal, Universidad Nacional de la Plata; ArgentinaFil: Gomez, Nora. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Limnología "Dr. Raúl A. Ringuelet". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Instituto de Limnología; Argentin

Intergroup information exchange drives cooperation in the public goods game

In this paperwe explore the onset of cooperative traits in the public goods game. This well-known game involves N-agent interactions and thus reproduces a large number of social scenarios in which cooperation appears to be essential. Many studies have recently addressed how the structure of the interaction patterns influences the emergence of cooperation. Here we study how information about the payoffs collected by each individual in the different groups it participates in influences the decisions made by its group partners. Our results point out that cross-information plays a fundamental and positive role in the evolution of cooperation for different versions of the public goods game and different interaction structures

Prevalence of risky eating behaviors and associated factors in indigenous population in Colombia

La información sobre conductas alimentarias de riesgo (CAR) entre indígenas latinoamericanos es escasa. El objetivo de este estudio fue estimar la prevalencia de CAR en población indígena de Colombia, así como identificar factibles factores de riesgo sociodemográficos e individuales. De la Encuesta Nacional de Salud Mental se retomaron los registros de 493 indígenas adultos (Medad = 29.5 años, DE = 7.39), hombres y mujeres. Las CAR evaluadas fueron: dieta restrictiva, malestar al comer, atracón y vómito autoinducido. El 19.5% de los participantes reportaron presentar al menos una CAR, y aquellas con mayor prevalencia fueron la dieta (8.5-9.6%) y el atracón (6.1%). Ninguno de los factores sociodemográficos evaluados se asoció a la presencia de CAR; por el contrario, de entre los factores individuales, la presencia de trastorno afectivo mostró ser un factible factor de riesgo de estas conductas. Las CAR no son infrecuentes en la población indígena adulta colombiana, e incluso su prevalencia puede duplicar la documentada en población general. Este estudio pretende aportar al escaso conocimiento existente sobre el tópico en poblaciones indígenas. Hallazgos que, ya sea a mediano o largo plazo, deberán incidir en el planteamiento de políticas de salud públicas acordes a las minorías indígenas presentes en Latinoamérica.Q4113-122Población indigenaData on risky eating behaviors (REB) in Latin American ethnic groups is scarce. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of REB in adult indigenous from Colombia, as well as to identify feasible sociodemographic and individual risk factors. A total of 493 records of adult indigenous men and women (Mage = 29.5 years, SD = 7.39) were retrieved from the National Survey of Mental Health. The REB assessed were: restrictive dieting, eating discomfort, binge-eating and self-induced vomiting. Participants (19.5%) reported having at least one REB, being restrictive dieting (8.5-9.6%) and binge eating (6.1%) those with higher prevalence. None of the sociodemographic factors evaluated was associated with the presence of REB, on the contrary, among the individual factors, the presence of affective disorder showed to be a feasible risk factor for these behaviors. The REB are common in the indigenous population in Colombia, even its prevalence may double the one reported in general population. This study aims to contribute to the scarce existing knowledge about the topic in indigenous populations. Findings that, whether in the medium or long term, should influence the approach of public health policies according to the indigenous minorities in Latin America

Cardiac Bmi1(+) cells contribute to myocardial renewal in the murine adult heart

Introduction: The mammalian adult heart maintains a continuous, low cardiomyocyte turnover rate throughout life. Although many cardiac stem cell populations have been studied, the natural source for homeostatic repair has not yet been defined. The Polycomb protein BMI1 is the most representative marker of mouse adult stem cell systems. We have evaluated the relevance and role of cardiac Bmi1(+) cells in cardiac physiological homeostasis. Methods: Bmi1(CreER/+); Rosa26(YFP/+) (Bmi1-YFP) mice were used for lineage tracing strategy. After tamoxifen (TM) induction, yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) is expressed under the control of Rosa26 regulatory sequences in Bmi1(+) cells. These cells and their progeny were tracked by FACS, immunofluorescence and RT-qPCR techniques from 5 days to 1 year. Results: FACS analysis of non-cardiomyocyte compartment from TM-induced Bmi1-YFP mice showed a Bmi1 (+)-expressing cardiac progenitor cell (Bmi1-CPC: B-CPC) population, SCA-1 antigen-positive (95.9 +/- 0.4 \%) that expresses some stemness-associated genes. B-CPC were also able to differentiate in vitro to the three main cardiac lineages. Pulse-chase analysis showed that B-CPC remained quite stable for extended periods (up to 1 year), which suggests that this Bmi1(+) population contains cardiac progenitors with substantial self-maintenance potential. Specific immunostaining of Bmi1-YFP hearts serial sections 5 days post-TM induction indicated broad distribution of B-CPC, which were detected in variably sized clusters, although no YFP+ cardiomyocytes (CM) were detected at this time. Between 2 to 12 months after TM induction, YFP+ CM were clearly identified (3 +/- 0.6 \% to 6.7 +/- 1.3 \%) by immunohistochemistry of serial sections and by flow cytometry of total freshly isolated CM. B-CPC also contributed to endothelial and smooth muscle (SM) lineages in vivo. Conclusions: High Bmi1 expression identifies a non-cardiomyocyte resident cardiac population (B-CPC) that contributes to the main lineages of the heart in vitro and in vivo.We wish to thank M. Torres, J.M. Perez-Pomares and B.G. Galvez for critical discussions of the manuscript, A. M. Santos for assistance with confocal microscopy and dynamic imaging, R.M. Carmona for help with the animal colony management, F.S. Cabo for bioinformatics and statistical support, J.M Ligos for the sorting strategy, and K. McCreath and C. Mark for editorial support. This study was supported by grants to A.B. from the Ministry of Science and Innovation (SAF2012-34327; PLE2009-0147 and PSE-010000-2009-3), the Research Program of the Comunidad Autonoma de Madrid (S2010/BMD-2420), the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (RETICS-RD12/0019/0018 and RETICS-RD12/0019/0023) and the European Commission (Proposal 242038). The CNB-CSIC and CNIC are supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness.S

Neutralino-Nucleon Cross Section and Charge and Colour Breaking Constraints

We compute the neutralino-nucleon cross section in several supersymmetric scenarios, taking into account all kind of constraints. In particular, the constraints that the absence of dangerous charge and colour breaking minima imposes on the parameter space are studied in detail. In addition, the most recent experimental constraints, such as the lower bound on the Higgs mass, the $b\to s\gamma$ branching ratio, and the muon $g-2$ are considered. The astrophysical bounds on the dark matter density are also imposed on the theoretical computation of the relic neutralino density, assuming thermal production. This computation is relevant for the theoretical analysis of the direct detection of dark matter in current experiments. We consider first the supergravity scenario with universal soft terms and GUT scale. In this scenario the charge and colour breaking constraints turn out to be quite important, and \tan\beta\lsim 20 is forbidden. Larger values of $\tan\beta$ can also be forbidden, depending on the value of the trilinear parameter $A$. Finally, we study supergravity scenarios with an intermediate scale, and also with non-universal scalar and gaugino masses where the cross section can be very large.Comment: Final version to appear in JHE

Análisis de datos de rendimientos obtenidos de la Red de Macroparcelas de Soja en la campaña 2019/2020

A partir de los rendimientos obtenidos de las variedades que participaron en la Red de Macroparcelas de Soja durante la campaña 2019/2020, se abordaron diferentes análisis para determinar el comportamiento de los cultivares. En este sentido se evaluó en primera instancia, el rendimiento promedio por grupo de madurez (GM) durante la campaña actual y su comparación con los últimos 10 ciclos agrícolas, y en segundo lugar, los rendimientos normalizados superiores.A modo de resumen, podría mencionarse que los rendimientos de la campaña 2019/2020 fueron similares o superiores a la media de los últimos 10 años. Sin embargo, al compararlos con los de la campaña predecesora, fueron un 10% inferior. Por otro lado, el NOA obtuvo rendimientos levemente superiores a los de TucZI durante la campaña actual. Al analizar el comportamiento por grupo de madurez de las últimas 10 campañas (tanto para el NOA como para TucZI), se observa una tendencia de los GM largos con mayores rindes promedio. Sin embargo, como mencionamos anteriormente, los grupos cortos obtuvieron rendimientos superiores a los largos en los últimos años, con medias muy altas.Fil: Ledesma Rodriguez, Fernando. Provincia de Tucumán. Ministerio de Desarrollo Productivo. Estación Experimental Agroindustrial "Obispo Colombres" (P); ArgentinaFil: Sánchez, José Ramón. Provincia de Tucumán. Ministerio de Desarrollo Productivo. Estación Experimental Agroindustrial "Obispo Colombres" (P); ArgentinaFil: Escobar, Marcela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto de Tecnología Agroindustrial del Noroeste Argentino. Provincia de Tucumán. Ministerio de Desarrollo Productivo. Estación Experimental Agroindustrial "Obispo Colombres" (p). Instituto de Tecnología Agroindustrial del Noroeste Argentino; ArgentinaFil: Gómez, César Horacio. Provincia de Tucumán. Ministerio de Desarrollo Productivo. Estación Experimental Agroindustrial "Obispo Colombres" (P); Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Nemec, Juan Pablo. Provincia de Tucumán. Ministerio de Desarrollo Productivo. Estación Experimental Agroindustrial "Obispo Colombres" (P); ArgentinaFil: Gomez, Roberto Carlos. Provincia de Tucumán. Ministerio de Desarrollo Productivo. Estación Experimental Agroindustrial "Obispo Colombres" (P); ArgentinaFil: Chariff, Lucas. Provincia de Tucumán. Ministerio de Desarrollo Productivo. Estación Experimental Agroindustrial "Obispo Colombres" (P); ArgentinaFil: Devani, Mario Rodolfo. Provincia de Tucumán. Ministerio de Desarrollo Productivo. Estación Experimental Agroindustrial "Obispo Colombres" (P); Argentin