Incidencias de la crisis hídrica y el modelo agroexportador en los habitantes y trabajadores de la provincia de Petorca durante los últimos 20 años. (1990- 2019.)

This article studies the incidences of the water crisis and the agro-export model in the space and in the subjects of the province of Petorca with the objective of making visible the changes produced in rural practices and the consequent precariousness of the population in the face of the effects of the drought and an agro-export model installed in the 90s in Chile. Investigating especially the effects on the subjects, we will analyze the life histories of residents and workers in the area to, based on this information, develop cartographic files and ethnographic maps that will allow us to spatialize the information of the actors in the territory. We propose that the confluence between the drought and the expansion of the agro-industrial model have produced a water crisis that has generated an accumulation by dispossession that favors the agricultural business community and the formation of a rural precariat.El presente artículo estudia las incidencias de la crisis hídrica y el modelo agroexportador en el espacio y en los sujetos de la provincia de Petorca con el objetivo de visibilizar los cambios producidos en las prácticas rurales y la consecuente precarización de la población frente a los efectos de la sequía y un modelo agroexportador instalado en los años 90 en Chile. Indagando especialmente en los efectos sobre los sujetos analizaremos las historias de vida de pobladores y trabajadores de la zona para, a partir de esta información elaborar fichas cartográficas y mapas etnográficos que nos permitirán espacializar la información de los actores del territorio. Proponemos que la confluencia entre la sequía y la expansión del modelo agroindustrial han producido una crisis hídrica que ha generado una acumulación por desposesión que favorece al empresariado agrícola y la conformación de un precariado rural

Optimization of Architectural Thermal Envelope Parameters in Modern Single-Family House Typologies in Southeastern Spain to Improve Energy Efficiency in a Dry Mediterranean Climate

The increasing regulatory requirements for energy efficiency in Europe imply a significant increase in insulation and solar control of buildings, especially in hot and semi-arid climates with high annual insolation such as the Spanish Mediterranean southeast. The consequences in architectural design to optimize compliance with the new technical and regulatory requirements of nearly zero-energy buildings are high. This paper analyzes the energy performance of a modern single-family house on the Spanish Mediterranean coast. The objective is to determine which design parameters most influence the energy improvement of this case study in order to establish design strategies that can be generalized to other new construction or energy retrofit projects, taking into account the specific characteristics of the warm and semi-arid Mediterranean climate. The scientific novelty of the work is to demonstrate that the design criteria of most modern single-family houses built or rehabilitated in the Spanish Mediterranean in the last decade comply with the energy efficiency requirements of Directive 2010/31/EU but are not specifically adapted and optimized for the special characteristics of the dry Mediterranean climate. This is the case of the house studied in this paper. The methodology used consisted of a systematized study of the main construction and geometric parameters that most influence the thermal calculation of this project: the thermal insulation thickness, thermal transmittance of the glazing, solar control of the glazing, total solar energy transmittance of the glazing with the movable shading device activated, size of glazing and the size of façade overhangs. The results obtained show that the use of mobile solar protection devices in summer, such as awnings or blinds, reduces the cooling need in summer up to 44% and the overall annual energy need (Cooling + Heating) up to 20%. This implementation is more efficient than increasing the thermal insulation of facades and glazing, reducing the size of windows or increasing overhangs. The most optimal solution is the simultaneous modification of several parameters. This reduces both heating need in winter and cooling need in summer, achieving an overall reduction in an annual need of 48%. This multiple solution improves the annual energy performance of the house much more than any solution consisting of modifying a single individual parameter. The results determine trends, explanations and deductions that can be extrapolated to other projects

The effect of TLTRO III on Spanish credit institutions´ balance sheets

Artículo de revistaWith the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, the ECB’s Governing Council modified the conditions of the TLTRO III, aiming to facilitate the flow of bank credit to the real economy. The new conditions encouraged an unprecedented level of take-up of the Eurosystem’s refinancing operations by credit institutions. In the case of Spain, all participating banks met the eligible net lending target (that is, loans to non-financial corporations and households, except loans to households for house purchases) established for the period March 2020 to March 2021. To ascertain the impact on banks’ balance sheets of this huge liquidity injection via TLTRO III, this article identifies four strategies – lending, holding reserves at the Banco de España, purchase of government debt and substitution for market funding – that banks could implement after applying for TLTRO III funding. The conclusion drawn is that there is a significant relationship between participation in TLTRO III and eligible lending and reserve holding strategies

Spread between the euro short-term rate (€STR) and the deposit facility rate

Rationale This article analyses the factors that are contributing to the widening of the spread between the euro short-term rate (€STR) and the deposit facility rate, with a view to assessing monetary policy transmission in the Eurosystem. Takeaways •The key factors that explain the behaviour of this spread are the expansion of the Eurosystem’s balance sheet and the change in the monetary policy stance. •The pass-through of the recent interest rate hikes to money market rates has been effective and cannot explain the widening of the spread. •Once the rate hiking cycle comes to an end, the contraction in the Eurosystem’s balance sheet can be expected to curb or even reverse the trend observed in the spread

Exploring Energy Retrofitting Strategies and Their Effect on Comfort in a Vernacular Building in a Dry Mediterranean Climate

This research explores the energy behaviour of a traditional house on the Mediterranean coast of south-eastern Spain. The objective of the work is to determine the optimal passive strategies for rehabilitating a traditional house, improving its energy savings and comfort, considering the characteristics of the warm semi-arid Mediterranean climate. The main novelty of this article is that it demonstrates that the limits imposed by current regulations, based on globalised climate strategy approaches, undermine the energy efficiency capacity that passive solutions in vernacular architecture already employed. The methodology used consists of a systematised multi-objective study of various energy rehabilitation strategies. Four strategies were studied: raising the thermal insulation of enclosures, improving thermal insulation and solar control glazing with movable shading devices, increasing the size of windows and introducing the use of natural ventilation enhanced by ceiling fans. The results show that simultaneous improvement of these parameters reduces cooling and heating requirements by up to 87%, reducing the energy consumption of air conditioning systems. Indoor temperatures are also maintained within the comfort limits set by regulations for 91% of hours per year without the need for air conditioning systems. This results in a passive energy-efficient and comfortable house almost all year round. This work offers an alternative solution to the comfort standards of current Spanish regulations and demonstrates the need to adapt Fanger’s analytical method for comfort estimation. The research concludes that the comfort criteria of current energy regulations should be modified to better adapt the design criteria to the dry Mediterranean climate.This research received an external grant from the Colegio Territorial de Arquitectos de Alicante (CTAA)

Conscious mobility for urban spaces: case studies review and indicator framework design

A lack of data collection on conscious mobility behaviors has been identified in current sustainable and smart mobility planning, development and implementation strategies. This leads to technocentric solutions that do not place people and their behavior at the center of new mobility solutions in urban centers around the globe. This paper introduces the concept of conscious mobility to link techno-economic analyses with user awareness on the impact of their travel decisions on other people, local urban infrastructure and the environment through systematic big data collection. A preliminary conscious mobility indicator framework is presented to leverage behavioral considerations to enhance urban-community mobility systems. Key factors for conscious mobility analysis have been derived from five case studies. The sample offers regional diversity (i.e., local, regional and the global urban contexts), as well as different goals in the transformation of conventional urban transport systems, from improving public transport efficiency and equipment electrification to mitigate pollution and climate risks, to focusing on equity, access and people safety. The case studies selected provide useful metrics on the adoption of cleaner, smarter, safer and more autonomous mobility technologies, along with novel people-centric program designs to build an initial set of conscious mobility indicators frameworks. The parameters were applied to the city of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon in Mexico focusing on the needs of the communities that work, study and live around the local urban campus of the Tecnologico de Monterrey’s Distrito Tec. This case study, served as an example of how conscious mobility indicators could be applied and customized to a community and region of interest. This paper introduces the first application of the conscious mobility framework for urban communities’ mobility system analysis. This more holistic assessment approach includes dimensions such as society and culture, infrastructure and urban spaces, technology, government, normativity, economy and politics, and the environment. The expectation is that the conscious mobility framework of analysis will become a useful tool for smarter and sustainable urban and mobility problem solving and decision making to enhance the quality of life all living in urban communities

El efecto de las TLTRO III en el balance de las entidades de crédito españolas

Artículo de revistaEl estallido de la crisis del COVID-19 motivó que el Consejo de Gobierno del Banco Central Europeo modificase las condiciones de las operaciones de financiación a plazo más largo con objetivo específico III (TLTRO III, por sus siglas en inglés) con el objetivo de facilitar el flujo del crédito bancario a la economía real. Las nuevas condiciones favorecieron una participación sin precedentes, por parte de las entidades de crédito, en las operaciones de financiación del Eurosistema. En el caso de España, todas las entidades participantes cumplieron con el objetivo de concesión de crédito elegible (es decir, a empresas y hogares, excepto para compra de vivienda) establecido para el período comprendido entre marzo de 2020 y marzo de 2021. Con el fin de conocer el impacto que ha tenido el gran volumen de liquidez inyectado a través de las TLTRO III en los balances de estas entidades, en este artículo se han identificado cuatro estrategias (concesión de crédito, mantenimiento de reservas en el Banco de España, adquisición de deuda pública y sustitución de financiación de mercado) que las entidades podrían poner en práctica tras solicitar fondos a través de las TLTRO III. Tras el análisis realizado se concluye que existe una relación significativa entre la participación en las TLTRO III y las estrategias de concesión de crédito elegible y mantenimiento de reservas

Three-dimensional spatial distribution of synapses in the neocortex: A dual-beam electron microscopy study

In the cerebral cortex, most synapses are found in the neuropil, but relatively little is known about their 3-dimensional organization. Using an automated dual-beam electron microscope that combines focused ion beam milling and scanning electron microscopy, we have been able to obtain 10 three-dimensional samples with an average volume of 180 µm(3) from the neuropil of layer III of the young rat somatosensory cortex (hindlimb representation). We have used specific software tools to fully reconstruct 1695 synaptic junctions present in these samples and to accurately quantify the number of synapses per unit volume. These tools also allowed us to determine synapse position and to analyze their spatial distribution using spatial statistical methods. Our results indicate that the distribution of synaptic junctions in the neuropil is nearly random, only constrained by the fact that synapses cannot overlap in space. A theoretical model based on random sequential absorption, which closely reproduces the actual distribution of synapses, is also presented

Combinando Impresión 3D y electrónica como estrategia para mejorar la experiencia de aprendizaje

Today, 3D printing has become a technology that has created a new paradigm of learning communities, constituting a contemporary culture or subculture, colloquially known as "maker culture", which can be considered an extension of DIY (Do It Yourself) culture. It is a new culture based on technology and the use of tools that has been widely accepted in diverse fields such as medicine, architecture and handicraft. This article shows an experience of integration of learning of 3D printing with electronics within the curriculum of the Industrial Engineering degree, specialty in Mechanics. The methodology of Service Based Learning has been used for this purpose. A possible social need has been identified and, based on this need, the design of a solution by the students has been proposed. The selected example has been the development of a robotic hand capable of communicating through sign language. With this work the students have reinforced their knowledge of 3D modelling using the software Solid Works, as well as their knowledge of electronics, having to develop the control system for the motors of the hand's joints using a system based on the popular microcontroller Arduino.En la actualidad, la impresión 3D se ha convertido en una tecnología que ha creado un nuevo paradigma de comunidades de aprendizaje, constituyendo una cultura o subcultura contemporánea, denominada coloquialmente como “cultura maker”, la cual puede considerarse como una extensión de la cultura DIY (Do It Yourself o hágalo usted mismo). Se trata de una nueva cultura basada en la tecnología y en el uso de herramientas que ha tenido gran aceptación en campos diversos como la ingeniería, medicina, arquitectura y artesanía. El presente artículo muestra una experiencia de integración de aprendizaje de Impresión 3D con electrónica dentro del currículo de la titulación de Ingeniería Industrial, especialidad en Mecánica. Para ello se ha utilizado la metodología de Aprendizaje Basado en Servicio. Se ha localizado una posible necesidad social y, a partir de esta necesidad se ha propuesto el diseño de una solución por parte de los alumnos. El ejemplo seleccionado ha sido el desarrollo de una mano robótica capaz de comunicarse mediante el lenguaje de signos. Con este trabajo los alumnos han reforzado sus conocimientos de modelado 3D utilizando el software de modelado Solid Works, así como sus conocimientos de electrónica, teniendo que desarrollar el sistema de control de los motores de las articulaciones de la mano usando un sistema basado en el popular microcontrolador Arduino

Diferencial entre el €STR y el tipo de interés de la facilidad de depósito

Motivación Este artículo analiza los factores que estarían contribuyendo al incremento del diferencial existente entre el Euro short-term rate y el tipo de interés de la facilidad de depósito, con el objetivo de valorar la transmisión de la política monetaria en el Eurosistema. Ideas principales •Los principales factores que explican la evolución del diferencial son el aumento en el balance del Eurosistema y el cambio en la orientación de la política monetaria. •La transmisión de las recientes subidas de tipos de interés oficiales a los tipos de interés del mercado monetario fue efectiva, por lo que no es un factor explicativo del incremento del diferencial. •Cabría esperar que, una vez concluido el ciclo alcista de tipos, la reducción del balance del Eurosistema frenase o incluso revirtiese la tendencia observada en el diferencial