Multifunctional metal-organic frameworks : from academia to industrial applications

After three decades of intense and fundamental research on metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), is there anything left to say or to explain? The synthesis and properties of MOFs have already been comprehensively described elsewhere. It is time, however, to prove the nature of their true usability: technological applications based on these extended materials require development and implementation as a natural consequence of the up-to-known intensive research focused on their design and preparation. The current large number of reviews on MOFs emphasizes practical strategies to develop novel networks with varied crystal size, shape and topology, being mainly devoted to academic concerns. The present survey intends to push the boundaries and summarise the state-of-the-art on the preparation of promising (multi) functional MOFs in worldwide laboratories and their use as materials for industrial implementation. This review starts, on the one hand, to describe several tools and striking examples of remarkable and recent (multi) functional MOFs exhibiting outstanding properties (e.g., in gas adsorption and separation, selective sorption of harmful compounds, heterogeneous catalysis, luminescent and corrosion protectants). On the other hand, and in a second part, it intends to use these examples of MOFs to incite scientists to move towards the transference of knowledge from the laboratories to the industry. Within this context, we exhaustively review the many efforts of several worldwide commercial companies to bring functional MOFs towards the daily use, analysing the various patents and applications reported to date. Overall, this review goes from the very basic concepts of functional MOF engineering and preparation ending up in their industrial production on a large scale and direct applications in society

Hydroxide Transport in Anion-Exchange Membranes for Alkaline Fuel Cells

In this chapter are described the characteristics of transport of hydroxide ions through hydrated polymeric materials with potential application in alkaline fuel cells are described. First, it is made a brief description of anion-exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs), their evolution and key characteristics. Then, this chapter presents a detailed classification of the different types of polymers that have been proposed for AEMFCs and their state of development. After that, mechanisms involved in the transport of hydroxide ions through hydrated anion-exchange membranes are described and discussed, making emphasis in the theoretical approaches applied for their study and their implementation and representability in global transport models. In the final section, it is summarized the key features of the chapter and is made a brief discussion about challenges and future work required for the consolidation of this promising technology

Grenadiers in the Spanish Fishery of Greenland Halibut, NAFO Divisions 3LM and 3N, 1991-1993

In the Spanish Greenland halibut fishery, grenadier are an important component in the by-catch. Their catch, catch-rate and size distribution were analyzed during the period 1991 to 1993.The importance of these species in relation to the targetted species increased in the period studied and the proportion between the two in by-catch was approximately 50%. Yields were greater during the first half year period, and increased with depth. Sizes of roundnoes were smaller to the south (3N) whereas roughead sizes were larger in this same division

Dietary fatty acids and lipoproteins on progression of age-related macular degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a medical condition of central loss vision and blindness. Numerous studies have revealed that changes on certain dietary fatty acids (FAs) could have useful for AMD management. This review summarizes the effects of dietary omega-3 long-chain PUFAs, MUFAs, and SFAs, and lipoproteins on AMD. Findings are consistent with the beneficial role of dietary omega-3 long-chain PUFAs, while the effects of dietary MUFAs and SFAs appeared to be ambiguous with respect to the possible protection from MUFAs and to the possible adverse impact from SFAs on AMD. Some of the pathological mechanisms associated with lipoproteins on AMD share those observed previously in cardiovascular diseases. It was also noticed that the effects of FAs in the diet and lipoprotein on AMD could be modulated by genetic variants. From a population health perspective, the findings of this review are in favour of omega-3 long-chain FAs recommendations in a preventive and therapeutic regimen to attain lower AMD occurrence and progression rates. Additional long-term and short-term nutrigenomic studies are required to clearly establish the role and the relevance of interaction of dietary FAs, lipoproteins, and genes in the genesis and progression of AMD

Las actuales reglas de la competitividad internacional

Este trabajo nace de una preocupación profunda por las acciones desplegadas por los países latinoamericanos en las pasadas dos décadas, asociadas a la integración al circuito global de intercambios. La confianza en que el comercio y la vinculación internacional procuraría el umbral máximo de bienestar a sus poblaciones, impulsó reformas estructurales que desmantelarían el carácter autárquico de sus aparatos productivos; proceso que caló profundamente en Argentina. Pero en este camino, en mayor o menor medida, las economías latinoamericanas no lograron un crecimiento económico sostenido, a pesar de haber recreado sus capacidades productivas y practicado su reestructuración política, salvo algunas economías regionales, o el dinamismo que exhibieron algunas ciudades y comunidades locales. El presente trabajo está dirigido a explorar los elementos que deben ser atendidos a partir de la caracterización del esquema global de producción e intercambio, el cual destaca la relevancia de la actuación de las políticas públicas y la gestión de las ciudades y regiones, espacios dinámicos de la economía global. La búsqueda de competitividad en las ciudades y regiones, como una exigencia de la actual agenda pública, deberá guiar los esfuerzos, por un lado, hacia el desarrollo de competencias en los ambientes locales, y por el otro, al fomento de las exportaciones para ganar competitividad internacional. Se hace presente la relevancia de atender a la construcción de la marca de sus productos, como herramientas para la proyección internacional, y el impulso de las ventas en los mercados externos

ADMINISTRACIÓN ESTRATÉGICA DE MARCA TERRITORIAL. COMO CONSTRUIR Y ADMINISTRAR LA MARCA DE CIUDADES Y REGIONES

In the last decades, the cities and regions have become the privileged scene of social, economic and political changes, which, has forced a recreation of the policies of the urban and regional spaces. This process is been from dynamic structural that revalidan the identity of them like a key element in the new global economy. The treatment of these elements demands to take care of the opinions of the strategic management causing that the territorial brand is transformed into one of the principal points for the públic management. This article observes that the conceptual bases of marketing practices for places competitiveness has been substantial changes. In this context, in the present paper we consider the brand management and the strategies devised for the international inclusion of the principal cities and regions as it faces the challenges of new public management. The brand management in cities and regions this pushed by the search of "brand equity", the emotional connection between consumers and this cities and regions, resultant of the associations that the consumers do of these brands. The central contribution of this article is to approach the reader a simple guide for the brand management for cities and regions, that serve the impulse as exports, and the attraction of investments and tourism.A lo largo de las últimas décadas, las ciudades y regiones se han convertido en el escenario privilegiado de cambios sociales, económicos y políticos, lo cual, ha obligado a una recreación de las políticas de dichos espacios. Este proceso es resultado de dinámicas estructurales que revalidan la identidad de cada espacio como un elemento clave en la nueva economía global. El tratamiento de estos elementos exigen atender a los dictámenes de la gestión estratégica haciendo que la marca territorial se transforme en uno de los puntos centrales de la agenda para la gestión de una ciudad o región. Este articulo observa cambios sustanciales en la base conceptual de las políticas de marketing para la competitividad territorial. En este contexto, en el presente articulo se reflexiona sobre la administración de marca y las estrategias diseñadas para la inserción internacional de las principales ciudades y regiones ante los desafíos del nuevo management público. El desarrollo y administración de la marca en ciudades y regiones esta impulsado por la búsqueda de un “brand equity”, esto es, la conexión emocional entre consumidores y el espacio, resultante de las asociaciones que los consumidores hacen de dichas marcas. El aporte fundamental de este trabajo es acercar al lector una guía sencilla para el desarrollo y  administración de marcas para ciudades y regiones, que sirva al impulso de exportaciones, la atracción de inversiones, y la captura de turismo