Price Integration along the Spanish Gilthead Seabream (Sparus aurata) Value Chain

Seabream is the most important farmed species in the Mediterranean region, and Spain is the largest market. A key question for this industry is to assess the way in which negotiation power is distributed along the value chain. Price transmission is studied by analyzing market integration between different levels of the value chain. The price series for seabream at the ex-farm, wholesale and retail levels have been collected weekly since 2009 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food through the Observatory of Food Prices. Import prices were collected from the quantities and values ​​imported by Spain from Greece and Turkey, the larger exporters in the Mediterranean, available in the database of external trade of the EU. In a model to test price transmission in the domestic market only local prices are considerd. A second model considers Spanish ex-farm prices and Spanish import prices from Greece and Turkey to test market delimitations. Results show that ex-farm prices are not caused by other agents of the value chain. Wholesalers set their prices according to the ex-farm prices and the retailers’ margin. However, when considering retailers, there are no price linkages causing their prices. Results also suggest that Spanish ex-farms prices are determined in part by the Spanish industry, but especially by the price of imports.Proceedings of the Eighteenth Biennial Conference of the International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade, held July 11-15, 2016 at Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Center (AECC), Aberdeen, Scotland, UK

A Simplified Modeling Approach of Floating Offshore Wind Turbines for Dynamic Simulations

Currently, floating offshore wind is experiencing rapid development towards a commercial scale. However, the research to design new control strategies requires numerical models of low computational cost accounting for the most relevant dynamics. In this paper, a reduced linear time-domain model is presented and validated. The model represents the main floating offshore wind turbine dynamics with four planar degrees of freedom: surge, heave, pitch, first tower foreaft deflection, and rotor speed to account for rotor dynamics. The model relies on multibody and modal theories to develop the equation of motion. Aerodynamic loads are calculated using the wind turbine power performance curves obtained in a preprocessing step. Hydrodynamic loads are precomputed using a panel code solver and the mooring forces are obtained using a look-up table for different system displacements. Without any adjustment, the model accurately predicts the system motions for coupled stochastic wind–wave conditions when it is compared against OpenFAST, with errors below 10% for all the considered load cases. The largest errors occur due to the transient effects during the simulation runtime. The model aims to be used in the early design stages as a dynamic simulation tool in time and frequency domains to validate preliminary designs. Moreover, it could also be used as a control design model due to its simplicity and low modeling order.The work was funded by the Basque Government through the BIKAINTEK PhD support program (grant No. 48-AF-W2-2019-00010

Competition and Price transmission in the Spanish seafood value chains

This work is part of the SUCCESS project (Work Package 4: Competitiveness and sustainability of European fisheries and Aquaculture sectors) funded by the EC (H2020, GA 635188). The dynamics of the value chain in eight different species at the Spanish market has been studied using price integration methodologies. Cases of market delimitation cover substitution across wild and farmed species and across imports and domestic production of the same species. Price transmission is tested in domestic and international value chains of farmed and wild species. Results from the market delimitation models show high level of differentiation across production systems, however, there is keen competition across domestic production and imports of the same species. On regard price transmission producers are more likely to be able to transfer their costs downstream in the value chain when they operate a differentiated product, concentrate large volumes of supply and participate as exporters in the international markets. Upstream price transmission, in contrast, is more frequent when the harvesting industry is fragmented in companies operating small volumes and the product is not differentiated

Quarterly Report (QR3)

In the third quarter, the project has built on the first public release (v0.1), providing additional functionality leading up to the 1.0 production release expected at the end of Q4. An additional public, preview release (v0.2) was produced and a subsequent release (v0.3) is expected just after the close of Q3. The releases are progressing well, with v0.3 expected to be nearly feature-complete, lacking only storage functionalities. The project is well-positioned to release the StratusLab v1.0 distribution at PM12 with the complete set of expected features

Phobos eclipse detection on Mars : theory and practice

We present a general approach to study solar eclipses by Phobos on Mars: its parameterization and prediction.The validation of the model and the involved parameters is made with the already observed eclipses by previous Mars missions. Eclipse prediction is applied for the past Mars lander missions: Viking, Pathfinder and Phoenix, as well as for the future Mars MetNet Precursor Mission. A successful detection of eclipses could be used for the localization of landers and to study atmospheric properties. We also consider the data analysis, with special emphasis in the tomographic method to identify events which are very localized in space and time. Large computation requirements are needed for the implemented methods. To this propose an efficient Cloud Computing Network Infrastructure has been used.Esittelemme yleisen lähestymistavan Phoboksen auringonpimennysten tutkimiseen, parametrisointiin ja ennustamiseen. Mallin ja sen parametrien validointi tehdään menneiden ja nykyisten Mars-missioiden havaitsemien pimennysten avulla. Pimennysten ennustamista käytetään menneisiin Viking-, Pathfinder- ja Phoenix-laskeutujiin, samoin kuin tulevaan Mars MetNet Precursor missioon. Pimennysten onnistuneita havaintoja voitaisiin käyttää laskeutujien paikantamiseen ja kaasukehän ominaisuuksien tutkimiseen. Käsittelemme myös data-analyysiä, painottaen erityisesti tomografiamenetelmää, havaitaksemme tapahtumia jotka ovat paikallisia ajan ja sijainnin suhteen. Menetelmien toteuttamiseen vaaditaan suuri laskentakapasiteetti. Tämän toteuttamiseen on käytetty pilvilaskentaa

Biophysical and lipidomic biomarkers of cardiac remodeling post-myocardial infarction in humans

Few studies have analyzed the potential of biophysical parameters as markers of cardiac remodeling post-myocardial infarction (MI), particularly in human hearts. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) illustrates the overall changes in proteins, nucleic acids and lipids in a single signature. The aim of this work was to define the FTIR and lipidomic pattern for human left ventricular remodeling post-MI. A total of nine explanted hearts from ischemic cardiomyopathy patients were collected. Samples from the right ventricle (RV), left ventricle (LV) and infarcted left ventricle (LV INF) were subjected to biophysical (FTIR and differential scanning calorimetry, DSC) and lipidomic (liquid chromatography–high-resolution mass spectrometry, LC–HRMS) studies. FTIR evidenced deep alterations in the myofibers, extracellular matrix proteins, and the hydric response of the LV INF compared to the RV or LV from the same subject. The lipid and esterified lipid FTIR bands were enhanced in LV INF, and both lipid indicators were tightly and positively correlated with remodeling markers such as collagen, lactate, polysaccharides, and glycogen in these samples. Lipidomic analysis revealed an increase in several species of sphingomyelin (SM), hexosylceramide (HexCer), and cholesteryl esters combined with a decrease in glycerophospholipids in the infarcted tissue. Our results validate FTIR indicators and several species of lipids as useful markers of left ventricular remodeling post-MI in humans

Lymphangioleiomyomatosis biomarkers linked to lung metastatic potential and cell stemness

Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a rare lung-metastasizing neoplasm caused by the proliferation of smooth muscle-like cells that commonly carry loss-of-function mutations in either the tuberous sclerosis complex 1 or 2 (TSC1 or TSC2) genes. While allosteric inhibition of the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) has shown substantial clinical benefit, complementary therapies are required to improve response and/or to treat specific patients. However, there is a lack of LAM biomarkers that could potentially be used to monitor the disease and to develop other targeted therapies. We hypothesized that the mediators of cancer metastasis to lung, particularly in breast cancer, also play a relevant role in LAM. Analyses across independent breast cancer datasets revealed associations between low TSC1/2 expression, altered mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) pathway signaling, and metastasis to lung. Subsequently, immunohistochemical analyses of 23 LAM lesions revealed positivity in all cases for the lung metastasis mediators fascin 1 (FSCN1) and inhibitor of DNA binding 1 (ID1). Moreover, assessment of breast cancer stem or luminal progenitor cell biomarkers showed positivity in most LAM tissue for the aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1), integrin-ß3 (ITGB3/CD61), and/or the sex-determining region Y-box 9 (SOX9) proteins. The immunohistochemical analyses also provided evidence of heterogeneity between and within LAM cases. The analysis of Tsc2-deficient cells revealed relative over-expression of FSCN1 and ID1; however, Tsc2-deficient cells did not show higher sensitivity to ID1-based cancer inhibitors. Collectively, the results of this study reveal novel LAM biomarkers linked to breast cancer metastasis to lung and to cell stemness, which in turn might guide the assessment of additional or complementary therapeutic opportunities for LAM

Value Chain and Price Integration in the Spanish Salted Cod Market

The Spanish market for salted cod has undergone important transformations in recent decades. The collapse of the Newfoundland fishery dramatically reduced local processors’ access to the raw material, which previously was mainly supplied by Spanish vessels. The price of salted cod increased and processors margins decreased. By using price integration procedures, competition across commodities and countries of origin is tested, as well as price transmission to the retail level. The price series of salted cod at the retail levels are available at the panel of food consumption provided by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food through the Observatory of Food Prices. Import prices were collected from the quantities and values ​​imported by Spain classified by countries of origin. Results found significant price linkages at the import level and along the domestic value chain. Causal relations depend on the countries of origin and point to different competitive and bargain relations across exporters and domestic customers.Proceedings of the Eighteenth Biennial Conference of the International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade, held July 11-15, 2016 at Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Center (AECC), Aberdeen, Scotland, UK

IoT Platform for technologic emergencies atention and economic losses calculation in industrial processes of adhered companies to the APELL program in Barranquilla

El proyecto se enfocó en el desarrollo de una plataforma IoT con el propósito de brindar apoyo al programa APELL Barranquilla en la preparación, prevención y respuesta a las emergencias tecnológicas que se presenten en la industria. Para lograr este objetivo se creó una empresa piloto llamada Savons Du Nord, que se dedica a la fabricación mayorista de jabón de coco y aceite de oliva, en barra y líquido. Pese a las restricciones de acceso a la Universidad dada las medidas de bioseguridad para atender la pandemia actual, el proceso industrial de la empresa fue emulado utilizando las tecnologías del Laboratorio de Automatización Industrial de la Universidad del Norte, haciendo uso de la banda transportadora con sus sensores inductivos, balizas y pistones; los cuatro PLC's S7-300, un PLC S7-1200 y sus respectivos simuladores. Se desarrollaron 3 interfaces: La interfaz de simulación alojada en el Web-Server del PLC1200 cuya finalidad es de monitorear el proceso industrial, simular posibles fallas y estimar pérdidas económicas. La interfaz de visualización del usuario, alojada en una Raspberry implementando el protocolo MQTT, se encarga de gestionar un sistema de alertas que genera notificaciones por redes sociales, tales como Twitter, Telegram e E-mail, en caso de que ocurra alguna perturbación en el proceso. Finalmente, la interfaz alojada en la plataforma AWS y encargada de gestionar una funcionalidad adicional del proceso industrial emulado, que consiste en el rastreo de vehículos, transportadores de carga y de atención de emergencia, en tiempo real y con la opción de consultar históricos. Adicionalmente, se validó que la plataforma cumpliera satisfactoriamente con las expectativas de funcionalidad y usabilidad proyectadas, cumpliendo a cabalidad con los objetivos trazados, de esta manera y haciendo uso de tecnología de punta, logramos dar respuesta a una necesidad del sector industrial y de la comunidad, a la altura de las tendencias de la industrial 4.0.The current project focused on an IoT platform that was developed with the purpose of giving support to the APELL Barraquilla program in preparation, prevention, and response to the technologic emergencies that occurs in the industrial sector. In order to achieve this objective, it was created a pilot company called Savons Du Nord which is dedicated to coconut and olive oil soap manufacturing, in bars and liquid. Despite access restrictions implemented by the university, given the biosecurity measures for serving the current pandemic, the industrial process of the company was emulated using technologies of the automation laboratory of the Universidad del Norte, making use of the conveyor belt with its inductive sensors, beacons, and pistons; four PLC's S7-300, a PLC S7-1200 and their respective simulators. Three interfaces were developed: The simulation interface which stays in a PLC 1200 Web-Server whose purpose is to monitor the industrial process, simulate possible failures and estimate economical losses. The user visualization interface, hosted on a Raspberry implementing the MQTT protocol, is in charge of managing an alert system that generates notifications through social networks, such as Twitter, Telegram, and E-mail, in the event of any disturbance in the process. Finally, the interface hosted on the AWS platform and responsible for managing an additional functionality of the emulated industrial process, which consists of tracking vehicles, cargo transporters, and emergency care, in real-time and with the option of consulting historical data. Additionally, it was validated that the platform satisfactorily fulfilled the projected functionality and usability expectations, fully complying with the outlined objectives, in this way and making use of state-of-the-art technology, we were able to respond to a need of the industrial sector and the community, at the height of the trends of industrial 4.0