Land Use/Land Cover Assessment over Time Using a New Weighted Environmental Index (WEI) Based on an Object-Oriented Model and GIS data

[EN] For the first time, this paper introduces and describes a new Weighted Environmental Index (WEI) based on object-oriented models and GIS data. The index has been designed to integrate all the available information from extensive and detailed GIS databases. After the conceptual definition of the index has been justified, two applications for the regional and local scales of the WEI are shown. The applications analyze the evolution over time of the environmental value from land-use change for two different case studies in Spain: the Valencian Region and the L'Alcora municipality. Data have been obtained from the Spanish Land Occupation Information System (SIOSE) public database and integrate GIS information about land use/land cover on an extensive, high-detailed scale. 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Tourism, Competitiveness and Economic Growth: A New Analytical Model

This study reviews the theories relating to competitiveness and the indicators used for its measurement on the one hand and the studies that relate tourism and growth on the other, with the purpose of establishing the links that exist between both concepts. This enables a model to be defined in which some factors that affect tourism competitiveness combine with capital and work to determine economic growth. The provision of inherited tourism resources, together with the provision of productive resources, and the links between them are the determining elements of the capacity of an economy to produce and therefore to grow

Gestión pública y políticas alimentarias en el Perú

En primer lugar, Brinda un panorama de la pobreza y de las políticas sociales en el Perú a partir de algunos indicadores básicos que nos permiten ubicar la situación del país en el contexto latinoamericano. Igualmente, son examinadas las principales tendencias de la cooperación internacional, así como el redireccionamiento que están experimentando los flujos de ayuda en el mundo. En segundo lugar, se concentra en definir los principales componentes conceptuales de la cuestión alimentaria, así como también la situación nutricional del país y el marco institucional en el cual opera la intervención estatal. En tercer lugar, se hace una revisión de las teorías más importantes acerca de la lógica que existe en el proceso de formulación e implementación de políticas. Aun cuando se trata de literatura académica concebida para burocracias de países desarrollados, los elementos conceptuales que se desarrollan proporcionan algunas pistas que ayudan a comprender y visualizar mejor las limitaciones e incongruencias que existen en las instituciones públicas peruanas. En cuarto lugar, busca reconstruir cómo funciona la burocracia estatal peruana a partir del análisis del PRONAA y de una “Nueva administración” que, durante parte importante del año 1996, quiso introducir cambios en la misión institucional de este organismo estatal. Al examinar la forma cómo se organizó el proceso de formulación de políticas, cuáles fueron las principales características de la gestión de los programas, el tipo de recursos humanos con los que se contó, los limitados niveles de coordinación, supervisión y evaluación desarrollados, y la relación mantenida con los beneficiarios, la cooperación internacional y las Organizaciones No Gubernamentales, se entenderán mejor las razones que condujeron a su fracaso. Finalmente, intenta llevar a cabo una evaluación del proceso de focalización de la ayuda que se dirige a los comedores populares, así como una evaluación de impacto de un programa específico de la institución cuyo principal objetivo es garantizar el aumento de la seguridad alimentaria de los beneficiarios

Publicaciones médicas: ¿ciencia o negocio?

En los últimos años ha aumentado enormemente el número de revistas científicas, de tal manera que hoy día es imposible leer ni siquiera el 1% de lo que se publica sobre nuestra especialidad o sobre los campos que nos interesen. La proliferación de revistas científicas en general y en el campo de la Medicina en especial puede ser debido a muchas razones. Entre ellas destacan, en nuestra opinión, la aparición de Internet y el cambio de la razón de ser de las publicaciones científicas. Comentaremos en esta revisión las razones que han llevado a este hecho.Sociedad Canaria de Osteoporosis (2016)

Renewable Energy, Emissions, and Health

The deployment of renewable energy sources is reviewed in this research showing the importance that they have reached in most countries. The International Energy Agency has insisted on the importance of their promotion all over the world, considering that at least one renewable energy source is available in all countries. The aim of this chapter is to show that although renewables are an effective alternative to the use of fossil fuels, there are other important positive externalities. As the fossil fuels are the main source of greenhouse emissions and other air pollutants, the negative effects that they have on human health, such as respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, have been recently shown in many studies. When renewables contribute to reducing the use of fossil fuels and associated air pollutant emissions, they have a positive effect on human health. Therefore, policy makers have to take into consideration all these positive externalities of renewable sources, when evaluating the possibility of their promotion. However, this evaluation should also take into consideration that not all renewable energy sources have equivalent positive effects. Our final conclusion is that governments should be supported by recent research when deciding the most appropriate energy mix for a country

Valorisation of ilmenite mud waste in the manufacture of commercial ceramic

This paper reports the results of a study focused on the production of ceramic tiles from ilmenite mud (MUD), a waste generated by the industry devoted to the TiO2 pigment production. Ceramic tiles were produced from mixtures of a commercial red stoneware mixture (RSM) with different concentrations of mud (3, 5, 7, 10, 30 and 50 wt.%). The samples were sintered to simulate a fast-firing process. The sintering behaviour of the fired samples was evaluated according to ISO methodologies by linear shrinkage, water absorption and porosity measurements. Both green powder and fired samples were characterised by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC/TG), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and bending strength measurements. Moreover, since this activity is a NORM (Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material) industry, the radionuclides activity concentrations were measured by both gamma and alpha spectrometry techniques. Finally, the TCLP leaching test (Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure, USEPA) was performed to assess the risks of the use of undissolved mud tiles from an environmental perspective. The results obtained demonstrated that ilmenite mud can be successfully valorisated in the manufacture of red stoneware ceramic bodies, with even better technological properties than commercial ones. The addition of mud as additive (from 3% to 10%) had a beneficial effect to the sintering processes, improving the bending strength (up to 15%) and reducing both apparent porosity and water absorption (up to 50%).This research has been partially supported by the Government of Andalusiás Project “Characterization and modelling of the phosphogypsum stacks from Huelva for their environmental management and control” (Ref.: RNM-6300) and by National Institution of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation of the Republic of Ecuador – (SENESCYT for its acronym in Spanish), Prometeo Project. Dr. M.I. Martín expresses her gratitude for the contract JAE-Doc_08-00032 to the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), co-financed by the European Social Fund Operational Programme 2007–2013 Adaptability and Employment Multiregional.Peer reviewe

Efecto del methoprene sobre <i>Musca domestica</i>: ensayos de laboratorio

To determine methoprene's (MTP) effect on fly Musca domestica emergence were performed laboratory bioassays using a technical formulation identified as MK55, in the form of a granulated insoluble in water. Concentrations of 1.625, 4.5 and 10 ppm of MTP were mixed directly with poultry manure, and larvae I of Musca domestica were fed (test 1). The same MTP concentrations (1.625, 4.5 and 10 ppm) were added to chicken feed and then, the manure produced by the chicken was used as feed to M. domestica larvae I ( test 2); each test involved five assays and one untreated check, in both larvae II and III were grown by feeding manure. Pupae were controlled until fly adults emergence. The percentage of fly growth in each assay decreased in relation to the increase of MTP concentrations and 77.1% of efficacy was shown when 10 ppm was used directly mixed with manure. And 83.7% of efficacy was demonstrated when used as a feed additive. However, a high variability of results was observed in low concentrations. MTP should be used at the highest doses and integrated with other methods to control M. domestica fly in poultry farms.Con el propósito de evaluar el efecto del methoprene (MTP) sobre la emergencia de adultos de Musca domestica, se realizaron ensayos bajo condiciones de laboratorio con una formulación granulada insoluble en agua, identificada como MK55. Concentraciones de 1.625, 4.5 y 10 ppm de MTP fueron mezcladas directamente con estiércol de gallina y ofrecidas como alimento a larvas I de M. domestica (test 1). Las mismas concentraciones de MTP (1.625, 4.5 y 10 ppm) fueron adicionadas al alimento balanceado para gallinas y luego la materia fecal producida por esos animales se usó como fuente alimenticia de larvas I de M. domestica (test 2); cada test involucró cinco ensayos y un control sin tratar, en ambos, larvas II y III se desarrollaron alimentándose con estiércol de gallina. Las pupas fueron controladas hasta la emergencia de los adultos. El porcentaje de moscas nacidas en cada ensayo disminuyó en relación al aumento de la concentración de MTP y se demostró una eficacia del 77,1% y del 83,7% cuando se utilizó 10 ppm mezclado directamente en las heces, y como aditivo en el alimento, respectivamente. No obstante, en bajas concentraciones se observó gran variabilidad en los resultados. El methoprene debería ser usado en concentraciones elevadas y en combinación con otros métodos para un control óptimo de adultos de M. domestica en explotaciones avícolas

Frailty, Complexity, and Priorities in the Use of Advanced Palliative Care Resources in Nursing Homes

Background and objectives: This study aimed to determine the frailty, prognosis, complexity, and palliative care complexity of nursing home residents with palliative care needs and define the characteristics of the cases eligible for receiving advanced palliative care according to the resources available at each nursing home. Materials and Methods: In this multi-centre, descriptive, and crosssectional study, trained nurses from eight nursing homes in southern Spain selected 149 residents with palliative care needs. The following instruments were used: the Frail-VIG index, the case complexity index (CCI), the Diagnostic Instrument of Complexity in Palliative Care (IDC-Pal), the palliative prognosis index, the Barthel index (dependency), Pfeiffer’s test (cognitive impairment), and the Charlson comorbidity index. A consensus was reached on the complexity criteria of the Diagnostic Instrument of Complexity in Palliative Care that could be addressed in the nursing home (no priority) and those that required a one-off (priority 2) or full (priority 1) intervention of advanced palliative care resources. Non-parametric tests were used to compare non-priority patients and patients with some kind of priority. Results: A high percentage of residents presented frailty (80.6%), clinical complexity (80.5%), and palliative care complexity (65.8%). A lower percentage of residents had a poor prognosis (10.1%) and an extremely poor prognosis (2%). Twelve priority 1 and 14 priority 2 elements were identified as not matching the palliative care complexity elements that had been previously identified. Of the studied cases, 20.1% had priority 1 status and 38.3% had priority 2 status. Residents with some kind of priority had greater levels of dependency (p < 0.001), cognitive impairment (p < 0.001), and poorer prognoses (p < 0.001). Priority 1 patients exhibited higher rates of refractory delirium (p = 0.003), skin ulcers (p = 0.041), and dyspnoea (p = 0.020). Conclusions: The results indicate that there are high levels of frailty, clinical complexity, and palliative care complexity in nursing homes. The resources available at each nursing home must be considered to determine when advanced palliative care resources are required