Going beyond energy intensity to understand the energy metabolism of nations: The case of Argentina

The link between energy consumption and economic growth has been widely studied in the economic literature. Understanding this relationship is important from both an environmental and a socio-economic point of view, as energy consumption is crucial to economic activity and human environmental impact. This relevance is even higher for developing countries, since energy consumption per unit of output varies through the phases of development, increasing from an agricultural stage to an industrial one and then decreasing for certain service based economies. In the Argentinean case, the relevance of energy consumption to economic development seems to be particularly important. While energy intensity seems to exhibit a U-Shaped curve from 1990 to 2003 decreasing slightly after that year, total energy consumption increases along the period of analysis. Why does this happen? How can we relate this result with the sustainability debate? All these questions are very important due to Argentinean hydrocarbons dependence and due to the recent reduction in oil and natural gas reserves, which can lead to a lack of security of supply. In this paper we study Argentinean energy consumption pattern for the period 1990-2007, to discuss current and future energy and economic sustainability. To this purpose, we developed a conventional analysis, studying energy intensity, and a non conventional analysis, using the Multi-Scale Integrated Analysis of Societal and Ecosystem Metabolism (MuSIASEM) accounting methodology. Both methodologies show that the development process followed by Argentina has not been good enough to assure sustainability in the long term. Instead of improving energy use, energy intensity has increased. The current composition of its energy mix, and the recent economic crisis in Argentina, as well as its development path, are some of the possible explanations.Argentina, energy intensity; energy mix; economic development; societal metabolism, integrated analysis

A Critical Analysis of Dimensions and Curve Fitting Practice in Economics

When dealing with sustainability we are concerned with the biophysical as well as the monetary aspects of economic and ecological interactions. This multidimensional approach requires that special attention is given to dimensional issues in relation to curve fitting practice in economics. Unfortunately, many empirical and theoretical studies in economics, as well as in ecological economics, apply dimensional numbers in exponential or logarithmic functions. We show that it is an analytical error to put a dimensional unit x into exponential functions ( a x ) and logarithmic functions ( x a log ). Secondly, we investigate the conditions of data sets under which a particular logarithmic specification is superior to the usual regression specification. This analysis shows that logarithmic specification superiority in terms of least square norm is heavily dependent on the available data set. The last section deals with economists’ “curve fitting fetishism”. We propose that a distinction be made between curve fitting over past observations and the development of a theoretical or empirical law capable of maintaining its fitting power for any future observations. Finally we conclude this paper with several epistemological issues in relation to dimensions and curve fitting practice in economics.dimensions, logarithmic function, curve fitting, logarithmic specification

Toward Partial Reorientation of Land Management for Sustainability in View of Material Circulation: Biophysical and Historical Analysis

This paper explores two major issues, from biophysical and historical viewpoints. We examine land management, which we define as the long-term fertility maintenance of land in relation to agriculture, fishery and forestry. We also explore humans’ positive role as agents aiming to reinforce harmonious materials circulation within the land. Liebig’s view on nature, agriculture and land, emphasizes the maintenance of long-term land fertility based on his agronomical thought that the circulation of matter in agricultural fields must be maintained with manure as much as possible. The thoughts of several classical economists, on nature, agriculture and land are reassessed from Liebig’s view point. Then, the land management problem is discussed at a much more fundamental level, to understand the necessary conditions for life in relation to land management. This point is analyzed in terms of two mechanisms: entropy disposal on the earth, and material circulation against gravitational field. Finally from the historical example of the metropolis of Edo, it is shown that there is yet another necessary condition for the sustainable management of land based on the creation of harmonious material cycles among cities, farm land, forests and surrounding sea areas in which humans play a vital role as agent.land management, material circulation, sustainability, Liebig, Edo

Reconsideration of Dimensions and Curve Fitting Practice in Economics Elaborating on Georgescu-Roegen’s Economic Methodology

This paper is to examine the proper use of dimensions and curve fitting practices elaborating on Georgescu-Roegen’s economic methodology in relation to the three main concerns of his epistemological orientation. Section 2 introduces two critical issues in relation to dimensions and curve fitting practices in economics in view of Georgescu-Roegen’s economic methodology. Section 3 deals with the logarithmic function (ln z) and shows that z must be a dimensionless pure number, otherwise it is nonsensical. Several unfortunate examples of this analytical error are presented including macroeconomic data analysis conducted by a representative figure in this field. Section 4 deals with the standard Cobb-Douglas function. It is shown that the operational meaning cannot be obtained for capital or labor within the Cobb-Douglas function. Section 4 also deals with economists’ ?curve fitting fetishism?. Section 5 concludes this paper with several epistemological issues in relation to dimensions and curve fitting practices in economics.dimensions, logarithmic function, Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen, macroeconomics, Cobb-Douglas function, econometrics, curve fitting, transcendental production function

Influencia al Incorporar Vidrio de Sosa, Cal y Sílice en la Resistencia del Concreto F'C = 210 KG/CM²"

La presente tesis debe resolver el problema general ¿Cuál es la influencia al incorporar vidrio de sosa, cal y sílice, en la resistencia del concreto F´c=210kg/cm2, para evaluar su desempeño en elementos estructurales?, teniendo como objetivo general “Determinar la influencia al incorporar vidrio de sosa, cal y sílice, en la resistencia del concreto F´c=210kg/cm2, para evaluar su desempeño en elementos estructurales” y la hipótesis general que debe verificarse es “La incorporación de vidrio de sosa, cal, sílice, influye positivamente en la mejora de la resistencia del concreto F´c=210kg/cm2, para evaluar su desempeño en elementos estructurales”. El método de investigación utilizado es el método científico, siendo el tipo de investigación aplicada, con un nivel de investigación descriptivo - explicativo, con una población conformada por 48 probetas de concreto y una muestra hecha por muestreo que consta de 48 probetas de concreto, teniendo como diseño de investigación el experimental – transversal. La investigación se concluye verificando que el 7% de vidrio de sosa, cal y sílice, dosificado e incorporado a la mezcla de un concreto convencional F´c=210kg/cm2, influye positivamente en la mejora de su resistencia, elevándolo hasta un F´c=342kg/cm2, siendo de esta manera dicho porcentaje de dosificación el más óptimo encontrado. Haciendo posible utilizar ese concreto en otros elementos estructurales que demanden más resistencia a la compresión axial y la compresión por tracción diametral.Tesi

Analysis of Gender Differences in HRV of Patients with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Using Mobile-Health Technology

Síndrome de fatiga crònica; Diferències de gènere; Variabilitat de la freqüència cardíacaSíndrome de fatiga crónica; Diferencias de género; Variabilidad del ritmo cardíacoChronic fatigue syndrome; Gender differences; Heart rate variabilityIn a previous study using mobile-health technology (mHealth), we reported a robust association between chronic fatigue symptoms and heart rate variability (HRV) in female patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). This study explores HRV analysis as an objective, non-invasive and easy-to-apply marker of ME/CFS using mHealth technology, and evaluates differential gender effects on HRV and ME/CFS core symptoms. In our methodology, participants included 77 ME/CFS patients (32 men and 45 women) and 44 age-matched healthy controls (19 men and 25 women), all self-reporting subjective scores for fatigue, sleep quality, anxiety, and depression, and neurovegetative symptoms of autonomic dysfunction. The inter-beat cardiac intervals are continuously monitored/recorded over three 5-min periods, and HRV is analyzed using a custom-made application (iOS) on a mobile device connected via Bluetooth to a wearable cardiac chest band. Male ME/CFS patients show increased scores compared with control men in all symptoms and scores of fatigue, and autonomic dysfunction, as with women in the first study. No differences in any HRV parameter appear between male ME/CFS patients and controls, in contrast to our findings in women. However, we have found negative correlations of ME/CFS symptomatology with cardiac variability (SDNN, RMSSD, pNN50, LF) in men. We have also found a significant relationship between fatigue symptomatology and HRV parameters in ME/CFS patients, but not in healthy control men. Gender effects appear in HF, LF/HF, and HFnu HRV parameters. A MANOVA analysis shows differential gender effects depending on the experimental condition in autonomic dysfunction symptoms and HF and HFnu HRV parameters. A decreased HRV pattern in ME/CFS women compared to ME/CFS men may reflect a sex-related cardiac autonomic dysfunction in ME/CFS illness that could be used as a predictive marker of disease progression. In conclusion, we show that HRV analysis using mHealth technology is an objective, non-invasive tool that can be useful for clinical prediction of fatigue severity, especially in women with ME/CFS.This research was funded by “Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación” of the Spanish Government, grant number PID2019-107473RB-C2

Epidemiology, mortality, and health service use of local-level multimorbidity patterns in South Spain

Multimorbidity –understood as the occurrence of chronic diseases together–represents a major challenge for healthcare systems due to its impact on disability, quality of life, increased use of services and mortality. However, despite the global need to address this health problem, evidence is still needed to advance our understanding of its clinical and social implications. Our study aims to characterisemultimorbidity patterns in a dataset of 1,375,068 patients residing in southern Spain. Combining LCA techniques and geographic information, together with service use, mortality, and socioeconomic data, 25 chronicity profiles were identified and subsequently characterised by sex and age. The present study has led us to several findings that take a step forward in this field of knowledge. Specifically, we contribute to the identification of an extensive range of at-risk groups. Moreover, our study reveals that the complexity of multimorbidity patterns escalates at a faster rate and is associated with a poorer prognosis in local areas characterised by lower socioeconomic status. These results emphasize the persistence of social inequalities in multimorbidity, highlighting the need for targeted interventions to mitigate the impact on patients’ quality of life, healthcare utilisation, and mortality rates.University Research Institute for Sustainable Social DevelopmentBiomedical Research and Innovation Institute of Cadiz (INiBICA)University of CadizRamon y Cajal programme run by the Spanish Ministry of Science and InnovationPublic funds by the ITI call (Integrated Territorial Investment), developed by the Health Department of the Andalusian Government (ITI-0028-2019)DEMMOCAD project has been 80% co-financed by funds from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) operational programme of Andalusia 2014–2020INDESS (Instituto Universitario de Investigación para el Desarrollo Social Sostenible)University of Cadiz, Jerez de la Frontera, Spai

Evidence of precursor orthorhombic domains well above the electronic nematic transition temperature in Sr(Fe1-xCox)2As2

Raman scattering, synchrotron x-ray diffraction, specific heat, resistivity and magnetic susceptibility measurements were performed in Sr(Fe1-xCox)2As2 [x = 0.24(3)] single crystals with superconducting critical temperature Tc = 22 K and two additional transitions at 132 and 152 K observed in both specific heat and resistivity data. A quasielastic Raman signal with B2g symmetry (tetragonal cell) associated with electronic nematic fluctuations is observed. Crucially, this signal shows maximum intensity at Tnem 132 K, marking the nematic transition temperature. X-ray diffraction shows evidence of coexisting orthorhombic and tetragonal domains between Tnem and To 152 K, implying that precursor orthorhombic domains emerge over an extended temperature range above Tnem. While the height of the quasielastic Raman peak is insensitive to To, the temperature-dependence of the average nematic fluctuation rate indicates a slowing down of the nematic fluctuations inside the precursor orthorhombic domains. These results are analogous to those previously reported for the LaFeAsO parent oxypnictide [U.F. Kaneko et al., Phys. Rev. B 96, 014506 (2017)]. We propose a scenario where the precursor orthorhombic phase may be generated within the electronically disordered regime (Tnem) as long as the nematic fluctuation rate is sufficiently small in comparison to the optical phonon frequency range. In this regime, the local atomic structure responds adiabatically to the electronic nematic fluctuations, creating a net of orthorhombic clusters that, albeit dynamical for Tnem, may be sufficiently dense to sustain long-range phase coherence in a diffraction process up to To.Fil: Kaneko, Ulisses. Laboratorio Nacional de Luz Sincrotron;; BrasilFil: Piva, Mario. Universidade Estadual de Campinas; BrasilFil: Ramos de Jesus, Camilo Bruno. Universidade Estadual de Campinas; BrasilFil: Saleta, Martin Eduardo. Universidade Estadual de Campinas; Brasil. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Unidad Ejecutora Instituto de Nanociencia y Nanotecnología. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Unidad Ejecutora Instituto de Nanociencia y Nanotecnología; ArgentinaFil: Urbano, Ricardo. Universidade Estadual de Campinas; BrasilFil: Pagliuso, Pascoal G.. Universidade Estadual de Campinas; BrasilFil: Granado, Eduardo. Universidade Estadual de Campinas; Brasi

Precipitation of Phosphate Minerals by Microorganisms Isolated from a Fixed-Biofilm Reactor Used for the Treatment of Domestic Wastewater

The ability of bacteria isolated from a fixed-film bioreactor to precipitate phosphate crystals for the treatment of domestic wastewater in both artificial and natural media was studied. When this was demonstrated in artificial solid media for crystal formation, precipitation took place rapidly, and crystal formation began 3 days after inoculation. The percentage of phosphate-forming bacteria was slightly higher than 75%. Twelve major colonies with phosphate precipitation capacity were the dominant heterotrophic platable bacteria growing aerobically in artificial media. According to their taxonomic affiliations (based on partial sequencing of the 16S rRNA), the 12 strains belonged to the following genera of Gram-negative bacteria: Rhodobacter, Pseudoxanthobacter, Escherichia, Alcaligenes, Roseobacter, Ochrobactrum, Agromyce, Sphingomonas and Paracoccus. The phylogenetic tree shows that most of the identified populations were evolutionarily related to the Alphaproteobacteria (91.66% of sequences). The minerals formed were studied by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX). All of these strains formed phosphate crystals and precipitated struvite (MgNH4PO4·6H2O), bobierrite [Mg3(PO4)2·8H2O] and baricite [(MgFe)3(PO4)2·8H2O]. The results obtained in this study show that struvite and spherulite crystals did not show any cell marks. Moreover, phosphate precipitation was observed in the bacterial mass but also near the colonies. Our results suggest that the microbial population contributed to phosphate precipitation by changing the media as a consequence of their metabolic activity. Moreover, the results of this research suggest that bacteria play an active role in the mineral precipitation of soluble phosphate from urban wastewater in submerged fixed-film bioreactors.This investigation was funded by the CTM 2009-11929-CO2-02 of the Spanish Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia