Economic and social impacts of the biodiesel industry: Assessment and policy implications in Spain

Aim of study: This study evaluates, through the input-output (I-O) methodology, the economic and social impacts (Gross Value Added –GVA– and job creation) of the national biodiesel industry on the Spanish economy in the recent past (between 2005 and 2018). These impacts are also simulated for different scenarios, for an average year following a trend from the past, based on different hypotheses on biodiesel production, trade balance and national production of raw materials. The aim is to guide decision-makers in the planning and design of regulations with implications in the domains of energy, economy and employment.Area of study: Spain.Material and methods: I-O methodology.Main results: The contribution of the biodiesel sector to GVA and job creation in Spain was very high during the construction phase of the biodiesel industry. However, this has been very limited during the operational phase, mainly due to imports of biodiesel and raw material, from Indonesia and Argentina. The economic and social impacts of this industry would be greater if higher amounts of domestic raw materials were used.Research highlights: The results justify public support for the operation of existing biodiesel plants in Spain in order to increase gross domestic product and employment, including the further implementation of specific measures to encourage domestic production. Policy measures to increase the use of national raw materials could include promoting rapeseed as an ideal cereal rotation in Spain and establishing contracting systems that guarantee farmers' profitability

Second-language instruction at the Ph. D. level. The doctoral program in architecture and building technology at UPCT

[SPA]La comunicación analiza una serie de razones que aconsejan emplear una segunda lengua en la formación de los estudiantes de doctorado, que se pueden resumir en dos ideas: los alumnos de este nivel deben poseer competencias que les permitan acceder a la información y presentar los resultados de su investigación en una segunda lengua, en especial el inglés. A continuación, los autores tratan la aplicación de estas ideas en el programa de doctorado en Arquitectura y Tecnología de la Edificación de la Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena (UPCT), exponiendo cómo los alumnos interesados puedan desarrollar competencias linguísticas aplicadas a la investigación, mediante seminarios y otras actividades: comprender presentaciones orales en inglés, leer trabajos en otros idiomas europeos, exponer oralmente sus resultados en inglés y escribir en inglés desde los rótulos de una presentación hasta un trabajo de investigación. [ENG]The paper analyses a number of reasons for implementing second-language instruction at the doctoral level, stressing that Ph. D. students should be able to acquire information and present the results of their research not only in their mother tongue, but also in English. Next, the authors discuss the application of such ideas on the Ph. D. programme in Architecture and Building Technology at Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena (UPCT), explaining how seminars and other activities will enable interested students to develop linguistic skills such as understanding oral presentations in English, reading literature and sources in a number of European languages, presenting the results of their research in English in front of a specialised audience and writing presentations captions and full academic papers in English.Campus Mare Nostrum, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, Universidad de Murcia, Región de Murci

Comparación de protocolos de IATF convencionales con un protocolo con proestro prolongado en vacas doble propósito en la amazonía ecuatoriana

Tesis (Maestría en Reporoducción Bovina) -- UNC- Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias ; Instituto de Reproducción Animal Córdoba, 2017En la región Amazónica Ecuatoriana, el principal problema que enfrenta la ganadería además de múltiples factores ambientales (temperaturas elevadas y humedad), fisiológicos y manejo zootécnico, es la detección de celos. El objetivo de esta Tesis fue evaluar la utilización de dos sales de estradiol en programas de Inseminación Artificial a Tiempo Fijo (IATF) y compararlas con un tratamiento con proestro prolongado en vacas doble propósito de la Amazonía Ecuatoriana. El mismo se desarrolló en el Centro de Investigación Posgrado y Conservación Amazónica (CIPCA) de la Universidad Estatal Amazónica que está ubicado en el Cantón Arosemena Tola de la Provincia de Napo (Ecuador). Se utilizaron para el trabajo 301 vacas multíparas Brown Swiss doble propósito con cría al pie con estado corporal ≥ 2,5, y que tuvieran ≤ 90 y ≥ 120 días de intervalo de días abiertos desde octubre de 2015 a abril de 2016. Las variables utilizadas fueron diámetro del folículo dominante ovulatorio, momento de la ovulación desde la IATF (≤ 12, entre 12,1 y 24, ≥ 24 horas), tamaño de cuerpo lúteo (CL) pos-ovulación, progesterona suero pos-IATF y tasa de preñez. Se realizaron tres tratamientos: TBE (n=100): Día 0 se aplicó 2mg de Benzoato de Estradiol (BE) + DIB 0,5g; Día 7 se retiró el dispositivo + la aplicación 500 μg de Cloprostenol (PGF2α); Día 8 se aplicó 1 mg BE; Día 9 (48-54 h) IATF. TECP (n=100): Día 0 se aplicó 2 mg BE + DIB 0,5g; Día 7 se retiró dispositivo + PGF2α + 0,5 mg Cipionato de Estradiol (ECP); Día 9 (48-54 h) IATF. T J- Synch (n=101): Día 0 e aplicó 2 mg BE + DIB 0,5 g; Día 6 se retiró dispositivo + PGF2α; Día 9 se aplicó 100 μg GnRH (72 h) e IATF. En este trabajo se encontró que el protocolo J-Synch resultó en un folículo de mayor diámetro al momento de la IATF (13,5 ± 0,1 mm) que en los otros dos tratamientos (12,4 ± 0,1 y 12,9 ± 0,1 mm, respectivamente; P˂0,05) y tuvieron un CL que alcanzó una media mayor (25,4 ± 0,2 mm de diámetro) a los 7 días posterior a la IATF que los tratamientos ECP y BE (24,2 ± 0,2 y 24,5 ± 0,2 mm; P˂0,05) respectivamente. Además, las concentraciones séricas de progesterona en sangre fueron más altas (11,4 ± 0,3 ng/mL) en los animales del tratamiento J- Synch que en los tratamientos ECP y BE (10,6 ± 0,3 y 9,9 ± 0,3 ng/mL, respectivamente; P ˂0,05). Sin embargo, cuando se evaluó la tasa de preñez, el protocolo J-Synch tuvo una preñez (59%) numéricamente mayor que los otros dos tratamientos (53% y 51%, respectivamente), sin que existieran diferencias significativas (P>0,05). Se concluyó que a pesar que el tamaño del folículo dominante ovulatorio, el CL y las concentraciones de progesterona en la fase luteal fueron mayores en las vacas tratadas con el protocolo J-Synch que en las tratadas con los protocolos convencionales con ECP o BE como inductor de la ovulación, no se encontraron diferencias entre los protocolos utilizados en la tasa de preñez.In the Ecuadorian Amazon region, the main problem which the livestock is facing as well as the multiple environmental factors (high temperatures and humidity), physiological and husbandry, is the detection of estrus which has been one of the difficult problems to resolve. The objective of this Thesis was to evaluate the use of two salts of estradiol in Fixed-Time Artificial Insemination (FTAI) programs with a treatment with prolonged proestrus, in dual purpose cows of the Ecuadorian Amazon. The project was developed at the Postgraduate Research and Conservation Centre and of the Amazonian Biodiversity (CIPCA) of the Amazon State University, in Arosemena Tola canton of Napo province (Ecuador). The study used 301 multiparous dual purpose Brown Swiss cows with calves with a body condition score ≥ 2.5, and with ≤ 90 and ≥ 120 days post-partum from October 2015 to Abril 2016. The variables used were dominant follicle diameter, time of ovulation from FTAI (≤ 12, between 12,1 and 24 and ≥ 24 hours), size of corpus luteum (CL) post–ovulation, serum progesterone concentrations post–FTAI and pregnancy rates to FTAI. Three treatments were carried out: TBE (n =100): Day 0 2 mg Estradiol Benzoate (EB) + DIB 0.5g, Day 7 device removal + 500 μg of Cloprostenol Sodium Salt (PGF2α), Day 8 1 mg EB, Day 9 (48 – 54 h) FTAI. TECP (n= 100): Day 0 2 mg EB + DIB 0.5 g, Day 7 device removal + PGF2α + 0.5 mg Estradiol Cypionate (ECP), Day 9 (48 – 54 h) FTAI. T J – Synch (n= 101): Day 0 2 mg EB + DIB 0.5 g, day 6 device removal + PGF2α, Day 9 2 ml GnRH (72 h) FTAI. The protocol J – Synch showed significant differences in the diameter of the dominant ovulatory follicle at the time of FTAI (13.5± 0,1 mm) vs EB and ECP (12.4± 0,1 to 12.9± 0,1 mm, repectively; P<0.05). Furthermore, cows in the T J- Synch reached a larger CL diameter and higher serum progesterone concentrations on Day 7 post-ovulation (25.4± 0,2 mm and 11.4± 0,3 ng/ml) mm than those in the EB and ECP treatments 24.4± 0,2 mm and 10.6± 0,3 ng/ml; 24.5± 0,2 mm and 9.9± 0,3 ng/ml, respectively; P<0.05) Finally, pregnancy rates were numerically but not significantly higher in cows treated with the J-Synch treatment (59.4%) than in those treated with the EB and ECP treatments (53% and 51%, respectively) Although the treatment J – Synch resulted in a bigger dominant ovulatory follicle, and CL and higher progesterone concentrations 7 days after ovulation, there were no differences between the protocols used in pregnancy rates

Nubes grises soplan sobre el campo verde

Universidad de Sevilla. Máster en Guión, Narrativa y Creatividad Audiovisua

Copper-catalyzed silylation of p-quinone methides: New entry to dibenzylic silanes

An efficient and general copper(i)-catalyzed silylation of p-quinone-methides is described. Non-symmetric dibenzylic silanes are obtained in high yields under mild reaction conditions. These compounds can be used as bench-stable benzylic carbanion precursorsWe thank the European Research Council (ERC-337776) and MINECO (CTQ2012-35957) for financial support. M. T. and A. P. thank MICINN for RyC and JdC contract

Food governance in Territorial Short Food Supply Chains: Different narratives and strategies from Colombia and Spain.

Política de acceso abierto tomada de: https://v2.sherpa.ac.uk/id/publication/14107Traditional approaches and debates in Agrifood Governance (AFG) have focused exclusively on the role of market forces and public policies. The emergence of alternative food movements, such as Territorial Short Food Supply Chains (TSFSCs), suggest the need to re-evaluate the role of civil society as a driver of governance mechanisms and a source of innovation and transformation of agrifood systems. This paper analyses the AFG processes that are configured in TSFSCs based on social discourses and coordination mechanisms of agents design. For this, the Q method and an exploratory/descriptive analysis are used, and the cities of Bogotá (Colombia) and Córdoba (Spain) are taken as case studies. Results show five different social discourses around AFG: 1) food activism, 2) development cooperation, 3) market niche, 4) local self-management, and 5) social and ecological awareness. It is also noted that TSFSCs configure a mode of reflexive food governance. Coordination mechanisms of the SFSCs are mainly settled in the social and market sphere, and they are in line with features of governance network. These two governance approaches (reflexive and networked) operate in tandem, with important complementary and synergistic effects that foster food democracy

Urban food policies and their influence on the development of Territorial Short Food Supply Chains: The case of cities in Colombia and Spain

Urban food policies (UFPs) have emerged as a key mechanism to drive the transition towards more sustainable food systems, with cities as the appropriate scale for their implementation. The aim of the paper is analysis of the boost that UFPs have given to one of the most widespread forms of Alternative Food Networks, these are Territorial Short Food Supply Chains (TSFSCs). For this, the territorial factors that strengthen TSFSCs in the cities of Bogotá (Colombia) and Córdoba (Spain), one being UFP, are prioritised using a multi-criteria model based on the Analytic Network Process. Based on this prioritisation, the way the UFPs interrelate with the other prioritised territorial factors in both cities is identified. Consequently, the influence of UFP implementation on social capital of TSFSCs is analysed through Social Network Analysis. The results indicate that there are four types of priority territorial sub-factors on which UFPs should have an impact in order to promote TSFSCs in the two cities. The first group is classified as means to achieve the other sub-factors. The other sub-factors are classified as ends. The main means are UFPs and partnership linkages. The territorial sub-factors included in the UFP are in the design and implementation phases of the policy cycle. Furthermore, UFPs foster bridging social capital, with actors connecting unconnected nodes. Finally, some of the reflections on the implications of UAPs indicate that the promotion of participatory governance mechanisms involving civil society is an important element to include in UFPs, given their influence on strengthening collective action and social capital in cities. This shows that a territorial approach in UFPs can have greater results in policy implementation. In this way the paper contributes, at the theoretical and empirical level, to recent debates on UFP approaches and the integration of key factors for food transformation in citie

Knowledge Transfer on Digital Transformation: An Analysis of the Olive Landscape in Andalusia, Spain

The global economy, and agriculture, in particular, faces significant challenges and transformation pressures. A major challenge, and opportunity, is the transformation towards digital agriculture or agriculture 4.0, where knowledge transfer (KT) has an important role to play not only in ensuring that digital innovations reach end-users, but also that these innovations contribute to development in rural landscapes. This paper analyses the role of KT in the framework of digital transformation (DT) in the Andalusian olive landscape. Thus, from the perspective of knowledge-generating agents, the main knowledge emitting and receiving actors in the DT are identified by using Social Network Analysis techniques (SNA). Subsequently, the performance of the Technological Innovation System (TIS) in KT is evaluated by using the multi-criteria Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method. The results suggest that the knowledge-generating agents, the knowledge transfer actors, and the scientific and dissemination media actors are the main knowledge emitters and highlight their role as cohesive actors of the social network. The main knowledge receivers are olive growers, cooperatives and non-cooperative groups. The results also indicate that the global performance of the TIS in the KT function is medium/low. Furthermore, in the KT sub-functions where the TIS in DT performs best is the quality of the transfer processes of DT, and where it performs worst is the sufficiency of spaces for KT

Buen vivir como alternativa al desarrollo: una construcción interdisciplinaria y participativa

Desde la década de los 1950 varias teorías han tratado de articular en torno a la noción de desarrollo un conjunto de explicaciones conceptuales para interpretar las grandes brechas en las condiciones de vida que separan a un grupo de países industrializados y avanzados con la gran mayoría de la población mundial, donde todavía prevalecen altos niveles de pobreza y exclusión. Estas teorías han inspirado estrategias tendientes a mejorar las condiciones de vida de los países “en desarrollo” o periféricos. A pesar de los importantes avances alcanzados, los resultados muestran dos grandes limitaciones principales, en términos de equidad y sustentabilidad. Como se mostrará en detalle en los párrafos siguientes, la sociedad mundial es menos equitativa que antes y prevalecen niveles masivos de pobreza y exclusión. Por otra parte, el crecimiento económico indefinido no es posible, ya que la capacidad de resiliencia de los ecosistemas planetarios que sustentan la vida se está alcanzando, y los problemas ecológicos globales resultantes pueden amenazar la continuidad de los avances obtenidos, nuestra propia civilización y la vida sobre el planeta, si no se introducen cambios substanciales mitigando el impacto ambiental de la economía global sobre el ambiente. La literatura actual en torno a la noción del buen vivir es abundante. Lo aportes de este estudio se centran en tres líneas principales. En primer lugar, se profundiza el estudio del contenido de la noción indígena amazónica del buen vivir, distinta de la visión andina ecuatoriana, con énfasis en la relación armónica con la selva, la conservación de los territorios ancestrales y la identidad indígena como resistencia. Se procura contextualizar esta posición atendiendo a los impactos de la expansión de la sociedad occidental articuladas en las últimas décadas por la extracción petrolera y a la adaptación de los discursos indígenas como respuesta. En segundo lugar, desde un ángulo diferente, se enfoca la noción del buen vivir a partir de la perspectiva del neoconstitucionalismo, concentrada en los fundamentos del derecho, y su relación con las voces de los oprimidos y la multiculturalidad. Finalmente se presentan opciones concretas que sienten las bases para una transición hacia una sociedad más equitativa y sustentable, frente al progresivo agotamiento de las estrategias vigentes de desarrollo, fundamentadas en el extractivismo

Certified Quality Systems and Good Practices in the Olive Farming Sector of Andalusia, Spain: Special Focus on Protected Designations of Origin

 Producing products of recognised and differentiated quality entails a competitive advantage for agro-food agents since consumers are increasingly demanding high-quality food and control in the production process as a whole in a transparent and verifiable manner. Certification of products and processes through the implementation of Certified Quality Systems (CQS) are voluntary and guarantees standards of quality beyond conventional and mandatory levels. CQS include European, national and regional regulations (such as Protected Designation of Origin – PDO, organic and integrated agriculture), ISO norms (such as 9000, 14001, 19011, and 22000), private protocols (GLOBALGAP, International Food Standard - IFS, Nature’s Choice, etc.), and specific regulations for particular products, among others...