Consumers’ willingness to pay for biodiesel in Spain

Consumer/Household Economics, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Changes in the Dynamic Behavior of Emerging Market Volatility: Revisiting the Effects of Financial L

In this paper we test whether the dynamic behavior of stock market volatility in six emerging economies has changed over the period 1976:01-2004:12. This period corresponds to years of profound development of both the financial and the productive sides in these emerging countries, but also to the years of the major financial crises. Our analysis suggests that changes in volatility behavior, while indeed present, may have been overstated in the past: simple specifications account for most of the dynamics of stock market volatility and therefore become powerful tools for volatility analysis. Additionally, we show that financial liberalization of emerging markets has generally reduced the level of market volatility and its sensititivity to news.

Fecundity of Litopenaeus setiferus, Farfantepenaeus aztecus and F. duorarum, in the Southwestern Gulf of Mexico

Fecundity of white shrimp, Litopenaeus setiferus, brown shrimp, Farfantepenaeus aztecus, and pink shrimp F. duorarum and relationships to gonad weights and total and carapace length were estimated. Ovigerous females were collected in the southern Gulf of Mexico in February, May, August and November 1993. Fecundity was estimated by means of a gravimetric method. The equations relating fecundity to total weight and fecundity to gonad weight were linear in the 3 species. However, an exponential relationship was found between fecundity and carapace length in L. setiferus and F. aztecus. Of the relationships examined, gonad weight was considered a more precise indicator of fecundity. Fecundity estimates ranged from 70,647 to 558,270 eggs for 0.203 and 5.639 g gonad weight of L. setiferus, from 23,298 to 494,292 eggs for 0.061 to 2.561 g gonad weight in F. aztecus and from 138,618 to 225,543 eggs for 0.120 to 0.998 g gonad weight in F. duorarum

Real convergence in some Central and Eastern European countries

This article examines the real convergence hypothesis in some Central and East European countries (both towards the German and the US economies) by means of using time series techniques during the period 1950-2003. We do not find evidence of real convergence for the whole period. However, when we allow for structural breaks, we find evidence of a catch-up process during the nineties-2003 period for Poland, Czech Republic and Hungary towards Germany and only for Poland towards the US economy

Fetal heart rate changes on the cardiotocograph trace secondary to maternal COVID-19 infection

Elsevier grants permission to make all its COVID-19-related research that is available on the COVID-19 resource centre - including this research content - immediately available in PubMed Central and other publicly funded repositories, such as the WHO COVID database with rights for unrestricted research re-use and analyses in any form or by any means with acknowledgement of the original source. These permissions are granted for free by Elsevier for as long as the COVID-19 resource centre remains activeTo determine the cardiotocograph (CTG) changes in women with symptomatic COVID-19 infection. Study design: 12 anonymised CTG traces from 2 hospitals in Spain were retrospectively analysed by 2 independent assessors. CTG parameters were studied based on fetal pathophysiological responses to inflammation and hypoxia that would be expected based on the pathogenesis of COVID-19 patients. Correlation was made with perinatal outcomes (Apgar score at 5 min and umbilical cord pH). Results: All fetuses showed an increased baseline FHR > 10 percent compared to the initial recording, in addition to absence of accelerations. 10 out of 12 CTG traces (83.3 percent) demonstrated late or prolonged decelerations and 7 out of 12 fetuses (58.3 percent) showed absence of cycling. Not a single case of sinusoidal pattern was observed. ZigZag pattern was found in 4 CTG traces (33 percent). Excessive uterine activity was observed in all CTG traces where uterine activity was monitored (10 out of 12). Apgar scores at 5 min were normal (>7) and absence of metabolic acidosis was found in the umbilical cord arterial pH (pH > 7.0) in the cases that were available (11 and 9, respectively). Conclusion: Fetuses of COVID-19 patients showed a raised baseline FHR (>10 percent), loss of accelerations, late decelerations, ZigZag pattern and absence of cycling probably due to the effects of maternal pyrexia, maternal inflammatory response and the “cytokine storm”. However, the perinatal outcomes appear to be favourable. Therefore, healthcare providers should optimise the maternal environment first to rectify the reactive CTG changes instead of performing an urgent operative interventio

Computer Based Production of Saffron (Crocus Sativus L.): From Mechanical Design to Electronic Control

[EN] The article describes the design and implementation of a computer based industrial system for production of saffron. The proposal is based on an automated greenhouse with temperature, light and irrigation control together with harvesting and stigma separation devices. The harvesting device has been specifically developed using scalability properties and computer vision. The greenhouse is designed to increase the crop density if required generating a more sustainable and continuous production. The main advantages of the proposed method are as follows: the harvesting of the saffron flower and the procedure to get the stigmas are carried out in the same process; the greenhouse allows to significantly extend the flowering time of the saffron plant; and higher productivity per worker and per planting area is achieved. In order to show the feasibility and applicability of the proposed approach, real experimentation has been carried out for the extension of the flowering time and for the harvesting and stigma separation devices and successful results have been obtained.This work has been partially supported by the European Commission under Grant No. 683987. The authors thank Enrique Gil Botella for helping with the machine design and drawings and Angel Flores Pérez for helping to generate the program for the cutting system.Perez-Vidal, C.; Gracia Calandin, LI. (2020). Computer Based Production of Saffron (Crocus Sativus L.): From Mechanical Design to Electronic Control. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 169:1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compag.2019.105198S11116

Representation of Robots in Matlab

Electronic versíon of an article published as International Journal of Software Engineering and Knowledge Engineering, Volume 29, issue 1, 2019, pp. 23-42. 10.1142/S0218194019500025 © World Scientific Publishing Company[EN] This paper presents a new software tool, namely RoboClass, to include and manage realistic robots and elements of the environment in Matlab simulations. These elements are loaded from CAD models using an STL-file and can be as detailed as desired. All the steps involved in the process are explained in detail. Furthermore, two illustrative examples are considered to show the effectiveness and versatility of the proposed approach: the ABB-IRB120 industrial robot and the CSA research robot. The developed tool is especially useful both for robotics research and teaching.Sanchez, A.; Gracia Calandin, LI.; Morales, R.; Perez-Vidal, C. (2019). Representation of Robots in Matlab. International Journal of Software Engineering and Knowledge Engineering. 29(1):23-42. https://doi.org/10.1142/S0218194019500025S234229

Learning by doing and training satisfaction: an evaluation by health care professionals

As one of the training methodologies employed in the health care context, Learning by Doing'' prioritizes the transference of competence, control, and workplace motivation. However, there are few published works that consider the opinions of health care professionals in relation to the effects of this kind of training on their workplace competence. The goal of this research was to evaluate the level of satisfaction and impact on quality of care, as perceived by the health care professionals that participated in this training program (Formative Focus). The evaluation utilized an online questionnaire that assessed professional satisfaction through five dimensions: The training methodology; the training program; its economic impact; perceived improvement in professional competence; and, perceived improvement in quality of care. A total of 364 health professionals took part in the training course and were asked to complete an online questionnaire. The variables that contemplated satisfaction were related to quality of care and preferences regarding the training methodology. Participants preferred interactive methods for learning with emphasis on practical contents. In terms of application of learning to their jobs, health care professionals found Learning by Doing skills more useful to transfer to their workplace. This experience of Learning by Doing training indicates an interesting potential for impact on improvement: Quality of health care, health care competence of professionals, and organizational development