A framework for analysing the adoption of New Zealand pastoral farming systems in central Veracruz State, Mexico : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Agricultural Science in Farm Management at Massey University

Tropical areas of developing countries have significant potential for increased food production. In the case of Mexico, an important economic activity in the tropics is livestock production based on pasture. Tropical regions represent 25% of the total area of Mexico and support more than 50% of the country's cow production. Historically, however, animal production in Mexican, and other tropical areas, has been low. Low pasture utilisation, and associated poor herbage quality, is one factor that contributes to poor animal performance in the tropics. This situation contrasts with the success of New Zealand pastoral systems, which in comparative terms have been able to obtain high levels of animal production and efficient use of pasture. Differences in pasture productivity (both in quality and quantity) and social and economic conditions between the Mexican tropics and New Zealand are large. Nevertheless it was proposed that some of the pastoral farming methods used in New Zealand, could be adapted to the conditions of tropical farmers in Mexico, particularly in relation to effective planning and control of the farming system. To test this hypothesis, the consequences of implementing some of New Zealand's pastoral farming techniques under tropical conditions in Central Veracruz State were explored by developing a spreadsheet model to simulate local farming systems. The model included linked submodels for pasture growth and quality, livestock transactions, milk production and enterprise gross margins. The effect of improved farming systems of milk output and cash returns were evaluated relative to the average levels of performance currently achieved from a medium-sized farm in the Central region of Veracruz State in Mexico. Straight forward changes in the design of the farming system, such as synchronising calving with the pattern of pasture growth rather than year-round calving, would significantly affect milk production and cash returns to the farm family. The modelling process was seriously constrained by the lack of farm-level data on pasture production and animal performance. Nevertheless, the model framework clearly identifies which data should be collected, and priority should now be given to assembling these data so simulation decision support models such as that developed in this study, can be effectively used to plan improved farming systems. Keywords: tropical agricultural, Mexico, farming systems, spreadsheet model

¿Distinción social o sociabilidad pura? : el impulso civilizador en los salones aristocráticos y burgueses, según Elias y Simmel

Las reuniones sociales elitistas y jerárquicas, en las que se difundían conductas protocolarias y se promovía un característico control afectivo, han sido centrales en el análisis del proceso de civilización en autores como Norbert Elias. No obstante, la investigación historiográfica y observaciones sociológicas como las de Simmel resaltan la existencia de salones sociales alternativos, donde el rango y la jerarquía quedaban en suspenso a favor de fines puramente eudemonísticos. Este artículo presenta las objeciones que los análisis de Elias han recibido ante estas evidencias. Se concluye que no afectan realmente a la centralidad de sus argumentos, aunque amplían fecundamente su perspectiva y sirven como complemento heurístico para la comprensión de los procesos civilizadores.Elitist and hierarchical social gatherings, wherein rules of civility were disseminated and specific affective control encouraged, have been central to the analyses of the process of civilization carried out by scholars such as Norbert Elias. However, historiographical research and sociological observation by other thinkers, including Simmel, discloses the existence of alternative social gatherings in which purely eudemonistic goals override the significance attributed to rank or hierarchy. This article presents the objections to Elias's approach arising from such research. The conclusion drawn here is that although the objections may broaden his perspective and contribute as a heuristic complement to a greater understanding of the processes of civilization, criticism of this kind does not have a significant bearing on Elias's central line of argument

Analysis of ultra low cycle fatigue problems with the barcelona plastic damage model

This paper presents a plastic formulation based on the Barcelona plastic damage model ([1], [2]) capable of predicting the material failure due to Ultra Low Cycle Fatigue. This is achieved taking into account the fracture energy dissipated during the cyclic process. This approach allows the simulation of ULCF in regular cyclic tests, but also in non-regular cases such as seismic loads

Presentación

Consumption and consumer choices, especially when connected with the problem of human identity, have received an increasing attention from different academic areas in the last years. This volume deals with many of the most relevant issues on this topic, as well as with the limitations and shortcomings of some views

Prohibido rapear

Treball Final de Grau en Periodisme. Codi: PE0932.Curs: 2015/2016Mediante esta investigación pretendemos responder a la pregunta de por qué el rap no tiene sitio en los medios de comunicación de este país (radio, televisión y prensa). Pese a este trato, la cultura hip-hop está cada vez más extendida, sobre todo entre los jóvenes. España goza de un panorama rico en estilos, en líricas y en profundidad, con vídeos en Youtube que pueden llegar a sobrepasar el medio millón de visitas. ¿Por qué entonces no tienen cabida en la cultura de masas? Tratamos de averiguar si es una cuestión de incorrección política, de dinero o simplemente de un factor cultural que afecta a la sociedad y a su sentido crítico. Por último, analizamos el futuro del panorama: ¿Caerá el rap por su propio peso y acabará estando donde lo merece (respecto a sus seguidores)? ¿Qué tiene que cambiar para que eso ocurra? Buscamos respuesta a estos interrogantes.Through this research we try to answer the key question: why rap has no place in Spanish media (radio, television and press). Despite this treatment, hip-hop culture is increasingly widespread, especially among young people. Spain has a rich panorama in styles, in lyrics and nowadays on Youtube videos that can exceed half a million visitors. Considering this fact, how can we explain they have no place in mass media culture? We try to find out if it is a matter of political behaviour, money or just a cultural factor that affects society and his critical sense. Finally, we discuss the future scene: will rap fall under its own weight and will it end up being where it deserves (regarding his followers)? What is it necessary so this can happen? We will seek answers to these questions

Hipertensión pulmonar: definición, clasificación, abordaje diagnóstico y actualidades en el tratamiento

La hipertensión pulmonar primaria es una enfermedad poco común y de origen desconocido. La hipertensión pulmonar secundaria es la complicación de múltiples enfermedades nosológicas pulmonares, cardiacas y extratorácicas. Independientemente del origen, la hipertensión pulmonar sin tratamiento deriva en insuficiencia cardiaca derecha. Los signos y síntomas suelen ser sutiles e inespecíficos. El diagnóstico debe sospecharse en pacientes con disnea de esfuerzo progresiva o con enfermedad pulmonar. El ecocardiograma es el estudio de imagen más útil para el diagnóstico. Una vez diagnosticado deberán realizarse otros estudios complementarios (TAC de tórax de alta resolución, pruebas de función respiratoria, gammagrama pulmonar de ventilación perfusión y cateterismo cardiaco). Actualmente, una opción para el tratamiento de la hipertensión pulmonar primaria son las prostaciclinas y antagonistas de los receptores de la endotelina. Algunos tratamientos potenciales a futuro son la administración de oxido nítrico, sildenafilo, péptido vasoactivo intestinal e inhibidores selectivos de la recaptura de la serotonina. El tratamiento de la hipertensión pulmonar secundaria comprende la corrección de la causa subyacente. El trasplante de pulmón continúa siendo una opción para ciertos pacientes con hipertensión pulmonar que no reaccionan al tratamiento

A hybrid approach for directory facilitators in a FIPA multi-agent platform

In this work we present a research line that focus on the design and implementation of a Directory Facilitator for a FIPA multi-agent platform. We will introduce three different approaches: a centralized version, a distributed one, and a hybrid solution. As we will explain below, the hybrid approach will have several advantages and it will be our choice for future implementations.Eje: Inteligencia artificialRed de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

Dialoguing DeLP-based agents

A multi-agent system is made up of multiple interacting autonomous agents. It can be viewed as a society in which each agent performs its activity cooperating to achieve common goals, or competing for them. They establish dialogues via some kind of agent-communication language, under some communication protocol. We think argumentation is suitable to model several kind of dialogues in multi-agents systems. In this paper we define dialogues and persuasion dialogues between two agents using Defeasible Logic Programs as a knowledge base, together with an algorithm defining how this dialogue may be engaged. We also show an indication of how an agent could use opponent’s information for its own benefit.Eje: AgentesRed de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

Abstract argumentation and dialogues between agents

A multiagent system (MAS) is made up of multiple interacting autonomous agents. It can be viewed as a society in which each agent performs its activity, cooperating to achieve common goals, or competing for them. Thus, every agent has the ability to do social interactions with other agents establishing dialogues via some kind of agent-communication language, under some communication protocol [6]. Argumentation is suitable to model several kind of dialogues in multi-agents systems. Some authors are actually using defeasible argumentation to model negotiation processes between agents [3, 7]. Our current research activities are related to the use of argumentation in agent’s interaction, such as negotiation among several participants, persuasion, acquisition of knowledge and other forms of social dialogue. Usually, argumentation appears as a mechanism to deal with disagreement between agents, for example when some conflict of interest is present. Argumentation can be used, not only to argue about something, but to know more about other agents: it is enough powerfull to play an important role in general social interaction in multiagents systems. The kind of arguments used in dialogues, and their relationship, depends on the type of dialogue involved. According to [8], dialogues can be classified in negotiation, where there is a conflict of interests, persuasion where there is a conflict of opinion or beliefs, indagation where there is a need for an explanation or proof of some proposition, deliberation or coordination where there is a need to coordinate goals and actions, and one special kind of dialogue called eristic based on personal conflicts. Except the last one, all these dialogues may exist in multi-agents systems as part of social activities among agents. Our aim is to define an abstract argumentation framework to capture the behaviour of these different dialogues, and we present here the main ideas behind this task and the new formal definitions. We are not interested in the logic used to construct arguments, nor the comparison method used. Our formulation completely abstracts from the internal structure of the arguments, considering them as moves made in a dialogue. We also consider multiagent systems as a set of multiple interacting autonomous agents.Eje: Inteligencia artificialRed de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

Conflicts in abstract argumentation systems

In this work we explore the inclusion of the notion of multiple argument conflicts, those in which two or more arguments are involved. In formal systems of defeasible argumentation, arguments for and against a proposition are produced and evaluated to verify the acceptability of that proposition. The development of argumentation systems has grown in the last years [AG95, BV, Dung93, PRAK, Sim92, GS99] but no consensus has been reached yet on some issues, such as the representation of arguments, the way they interact, and the output of that interaction. Even then, the main idea in these systems is that any proposition will be accepted as true if there exists an argument that supports it, and this argument is acceptable according to an analysis between it and its counterarguments. Therefore, in the set of arguments of the system, some of them will be acceptable or justified arguments, while others not. Almost every system of this kind is based on the notion of binary conflicts between arguments. We consider here the existence of a more complex form of conflict, how to solve it, and the corresponding acceptability semantic.Eje: Inteligencia Artificial Distribuida, Aspectos Teóricos de la Inteligencia Artificial y Teoría de la ComputaciónRed de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI