Una reflexión sobre el canon literario y la traducción: el caso de España a finales de los 90 y comienzos de 2000

The term Literary Canon has always been a complex issue to describe. The debate that this fact origins affects either the editorial market and higher education. In this exploratory reflection, based on the literary market observation in the last ten years, a lot of parameters are questioned. I question from the personal criteria that lead somebody to gather an anthology to the relation between canon and power. Fowler, Evan-Zohar, Sullà and Reyes, among others, have presented different approaches to the possible structure of Literary Canon: Dynamic, hierarchic, primary, secondary, etc. Nonetheless, there are neither sources nor academics that openly claim if there is a known identity that establish the Canon under political, social, cultural or globalisation factors. Though, it is generally conveyed that the quality of a work is measured according to the number of languages to which it has been translated.El concepto de Canon literario siempre ha sido una cuestión compleja. El debate que origina afecta tanto al mercado literario, y por tanto editorial, como a la educación de los estudiantes españoles (en este caso). En esta breve reflexión, basada en la observación del mercado literario de los últimos diez años, se plantean desde los criterios personales que llevan a elaborar una antología literaria hasta la relación entre poder y el canon literario. Fowler, Evan-Zohar, Sullà, Reyes (entre otros escritores) han planteado distintos modelos que definen la posible estructura del canon literario: dinámica, jerarquizada, primaria, secundaria, etc. Sin embargo, ninguna fuente o académico puede identificar con claridad si tras la identidad que establece el canon podemos encontrar factores políticos, sociales, globalizantes o culturales. Pese a ello, se sigue creyendo, a nivel general, que la calidad de una obra literaria se puede medir según el número de lenguas al cual se traduce dicha obra

World Englishes and pedagogy: EFL teaching project on the integration of the American, British and Jamaican standard varieties

Abstract The present End-of-degree project took the existing lack of correlation between the vast and prosperous range of varieties of English spoken worldwide and its scarce implication in the production of pedagogical materials utilised for the teaching of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) as its point of departure. It sought to explore and bring to light the practicability and convenience of implicating other World Englishes in education, apart from the so called “Standard British English” and “Standard American English” on which the majority of methods and textbooks are based, so as to offer students more realistic views of the language and broaden their communicative possibilities in accordance with the global status English holds currently. For this purpose, the present study trusted on the personal proposal, elaboration and in-class implementation of a series of pedagogical activities which were meticulously designed to demonstrate the efficacy and benefits of multicultural approaches in the teaching of EFL. Overall, conclusions indicated that the project was successful in raising awareness of the exposed situation among students who took part in it as well as it revealed other positive inferences of stimulating their levels of reflection on this matter. Resumen El presente Trabajo Fin de Grado toma como punto de partida la falta de correlación que existe entre el vasto y próspero repertorio de variedades de inglés del mundo y su escasa implicación en la elaboración de materiales pedagógicos utilizados para la enseñanza del inglés como lengua extranjera. Se ha pretendido explorar y demostrar la viabilidad y conveniencia de integrar otras variedades de inglés, además de las variedades británica y americana estándar, en las que la mayoría de libros y métodos se basan, para así ofrecer a los estudiantes visiones más realistas del idioma y ampliar sus posibilidades comunicativas en concordancia con el estatus global que el inglés ostenta hoy en día. Con este propósito, el estudio confió en la propuesta personal, elaboración e implementación de primera mano de una serie de actividades pedagógicas meticulosamente elaboradas para demostrar la eficacia y los beneficios de los enfoques multiculturales en la enseñanza del inglés como lengua extranjera. En general, las conclusiones obtenidas indican que el proyecto ha logrado despertar conciencia de la situación expuesta entre los estudiantes que han participado en él, y ha revelado otros aspectos positivos de haber estimulado sus niveles de reflexión sobre este tema

Photovoltaic-Thermal (PV-T) systems for combined cooling, heating and power in buildings: a review

Heating and cooling (H/C) represent the largest share of energy consumption worldwide. Buildings are the main consumers of H/C, while the share of renewable energy for H/C provision still represents a low percentage, 22.0% in 2019. Hybrid photovoltaic-thermal (PV-T) systems are gaining increasing attention both in research and in applications, as they generate both electricity and useful heat simultaneously. The relevance and potential of PV-T collectors and their integration into wider systems are evident, but there is still a lack of review articles that address the potential of these systems in building applications in a comprehensive way. This work aims to review the state-of-the-art of PV-T collectors for building applications, as well as the corresponding PV-T systems for solar combined cooling, heating and power (S-CCHP) provision. The novelties of this work involve the comparison of these systems with conventional solar H/C technologies, the review of the market of H/C technologies, a summary of the challenges for the wider integration of S-CCHP systems and proposal lines of work to improve the cost-competitiveness of these systems. The first section summarises the focus and findings of previous reviews, followed by an overview of the current development status of the main types of PV-T collectors. Then, PV-T-based S-CCHP systems are reviewed, and the potential of PV-T systems’ penetration in the built environment is evaluated and discussedPostprint (published version

Hybrid PV and solar-thermal systems for domestic heat and power provision in the UK: Techno-economic considerations

A techno-economic analysis is undertaken to assess hybrid PV/solar-thermal (PVT) systems for distributed electricity and hot-water provision in a typical house in London, UK. In earlier work (Herrando et al., 2014), a system model based on a PVT collector with water as the cooling medium (PVT/w) was used to estimate average year-long system performance. The results showed that for low solar irradiance levels and low ambient temperatures, such as those associated with the UK climate, a higher coverage of total household energy demands and higher CO2 emission savings can be achieved by the complete coverage of the solar collector with PV and a relatively low collector cooling flow-rate. Such a PVT/w system demonstrated an annual electricity generation of 2.3 MW h, or a 51% coverage of the household’s electrical demand (compared to an equivalent PV-only value of 49%), plus a significant annual water heating potential of to 1.0 MW h, or a 36% coverage of the hot-water demand. In addition, this system allowed for a reduction in CO2 emissions amounting to 16.0 tonnes over a life-time of 20 years due to the reduction in electrical power drawn from the grid and gas taken from the mains for water heating, and a 14-tonne corresponding displacement of primary fossil-fuel consumption. Both the emissions and fossil-fuel consumption reductions are significantly larger (by 36% and 18%, respectively) than those achieved by an equivalent PV-only system with the same peak rating/installed capacity. The present paper proceeds further, by considering the economic aspects of PVT technology, based on which invaluable policy-related conclusions can be drawn concerning the incentives that would need to be in place to accelerate the widespread uptake of such systems. It is found that, with an electricity-only Feed-In Tariff (FIT) support rate at 43.3 p/kW h over 20 years, the system cost estimates of optimised PVT/w systems have an 11.2-year discounted payback period (PV-only: 6.8 years). The role and impact of heat-based incentives is also studied. The implementation of a domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) at a rate of 8.5 p/kW h in quarterly payments leads to a payback reduction of about 1 year. If this incentive is given as a one-off voucher at the beginning of the system’s lifetime, the payback is reduced by about 2 years. With a RHI rate of 20 p/kW h (about half of the FIT rate) PVT technology would have approximately the same payback as PV. It is concluded that, if primary energy (currently dominated by fossil fuels) and CO2 emission minimisation are important goals of national energy policy, PVT systems offer a significantly improved proposition over equivalent PV-only systems, but at an elevated cost. This is in need of careful reflection when developing relevant policy and considering technology incentivation. Currently, although heat outweighs electricity consumption by a factor of about 4 (by energy unit) in the UK domestic sector, the support landscape has strongly favoured electrical microgeneration, being inclined in favour of PV technology, which has been experiencing a well-documented exponential growth over recent decades

Apoyo en el aprendizaje de idiomas con nuevas tecnologías: Un estudio basado en la práctica de la enseñanza de idiomas con tecnología integrada

This paper aims to reflect on the results of the action research which was personally conducted in the English language lessons of a reduced group of the Programa de Diversificación curricular of 4th grade over a three weeks period. The purpose of study was to explore the effects of ICT as a teaching tool in the language classroom. The results are presented in terms of second language acquisition and students‘ motivation. The overall inference of the research is that students have a more positive attitude towards language learning when they are presented with engaging and challenging activities through technological devices that can better meet their generational needs. Nonetheless, results show that students continued with the same language level and skills may eventually were not significantly improved due to the short term nature of study

Influencer endorsement posts and their effects on advertising attitudes and purchase intentions

This study examines the effects of influencer posts on Instagram users. Based on uses and gratifications theory, this experiment- based investigation analyses the effect of three different levels of product exposure (strong, mild and low) within an influencer ad post on users’ attitudes toward the ad, and their purchase intentions. Based on a sample of 602 Instagram users from Generations Y and Z, the empirical findings show that users who attribute infotainment and credibility to an influencer ad post perceive it to have greater ad value, which improves their attitude toward the ad and, consequently, positively affects their purchase intentions. However, the results do not find support for the negative effect of irritation on ad value. The contributions of this study highlight that once users have freely decided to follow influencers on Instagram, they assume that their posts are going to be ad- related and this does not cause them to reject posts; consequently, endorsement exerts a similar effect on the value attributed to an ad post regardless of the level of salience of the product in the post

A UK-based assessment of hybrid PV and solar-thermal systems for domestic heating and power: System performance

AbstractThe goal of this paper is to assess the suitability of hybrid PVT systems for the provision of electricity and hot water (space heating is not considered) in the UK domestic sector, with particular focus on a typical terraced house in London. A model is developed to estimate the performance of such a system. The model allows various design parameters of the PVT unit to be varied, so that their influence in the overall system performance can be studied. Two key parameters, specifically the covering factor of the solar collector with PV and the collector flow-rate, are considered. The emissions of the PVT system are compared with those incurred by a household that utilises a conventional energy provision arrangement. The results show that for the case of the UK (low solar irradiance and low ambient temperatures) a complete coverage of the solar collector with PV together with a low collector flow-rate are beneficial in allowing the system to achieve a high coverage of the total annual energy (heat and power) demand, while maximising the CO2 emissions savings. It is found that with a completely covered collector and a flow-rate of 20L/h, 51% of the total electricity demand and 36% of the total hot water demand over a year can be covered by a hybrid PVT system. The electricity demand coverage value is slightly higher than the PV-only system equivalent (49%). In addition, our emissions assessment indicates that a PVT system can save up to 16.0tonnes of CO2 over a lifetime of 20years, which is significantly (36%) higher than the 11.8tonnes of CO2 saved with a PV-only system. All investigated PVT configurations outperformed the PV-only system in terms of emissions. Therefore, it is concluded that hybrid PVT systems offer a notably improved proposition over PV-only systems

Cost competitiveness of a novel PVT-based solar combined heating and power system: Influence of economic parameters and financial incentives

The cost competitiveness of an optimised solar combined heating and power (S-CHP) system based on a novel PVT collector is assessed in three different locations (Zaragoza, London and Athens). A series of sensitivity analyses are undertaken to evaluate the extent of the influence of the several economic parameters on the cost competitiveness of the proposed solar solution, and evaluate the need for financial incentives to boost the installation of this technology, in particular in the residential sector. From the different systems components’ costs, the results show that the PVT collector price is the one that influences more the system economics, as it responsible of the highest share of the total investment (~38%). High market discount rates and/or low inflation rates significantly and negatively affect the system cost competitiveness, leading to higher payback times (PBTs). Government incentives, if correctly applied, have the potential to improve the system economics in the short-term. However, in low latitude locations these incentives might not be necessary as high irradiance levels and energy prices lead to reasonable PBTs. Finally, the analysis of potential future scenarios, considering a combination of several economic parameters, demonstrates that the S–CHP system cost competitiveness is feasible in the short termPeer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Interpersonality in ELF (Non)Academic Blogs: Self-mentions and Engagement Markers through Different Disciplines.

Abstract This study offers an analysis of interpersonality indicators, concretely self-mentions and engagement markers, in both academic and non-academic blogs belonging to four different disciplines, then consequently subjected to different conventions. In order to carry out this research, I have selected a corpus consisting of five blogs in ELF (English as a Lingua Franca) written by Spanish speakers, three of them non-academic – a cooking blog and two fashion blogs – and two of them academic – belonging to the fields of biology and psychology. The analysis of the results has been completed using Hyland’s metadiscourse paradigm (2005), exploring the frequency of appearance of self-mentions and engagement markers in each corpus. Resumen Este estudio pretende analizar los indicadores de interpersonalidad, más concretamente las auto-menciones del autor y las marcas de inclusión del lector, en varios blogs tanto académicos como no académicos pertenecientes a cuatro disciplinas diferentes, y por tanto sujetos a distintas convenciones. Para llevar a cabo el estudio, se ha seleccionado un corpus de cinco blogs en ELF (inglés como lengua franca) escritos por hablantes del español, tres de los cuales no son académicos – un blog sobre cocina y dos blogs sobre moda – y dos de los cuales sí son académicos – pertenecientes a los campos de la biología y la psicología. El análisis de los resultados se ha producido usando el paradigma de metadiscurso de Hyland (2005), observando la frecuencia de aparición de las auto-menciones y de las inclusiones del lector en cada uno de los corpus.<br /

The cost overrun of depopulation to improve energy efficiency in buildings: A case study in the Mediterranean Region

The implementation of energy efficiency measures in public buildings is a complex process that hinges on multiple factors. A factor relevant for some European regions is their ongoing depopulation. In these regions, building energy retrofitting presents additional challenges to those in urban areas, such as over-dimensioned public buildings and low occupancy levels. This work analyses these challenges in the province of Teruel (Spain), one of the regions with the highest depopulation levels in Spain. To this end, a methodology has been developed to assess the effect of depopulation on the cost of upgrading public buildings to improve their energy efficiency. The results show that the investment required per inhabitant for building retrofitting is approximately four times as high in depopulated areas as in urban areas. Furthermore, the low occupancy levels of public buildings can triple the payback time of some energy efficiency measures. To overcome these barriers, in addition to specific policies for depopulated areas, energy planning is essential. An adequate action plan, combining the implementation of energy efficiency measures and the integration of renewable energies in buildings, is the most effective tool to improve the sustainability of public buildings circumventing the barriers created by depopulation