The influence of social capital on risk-taking propensity. A study on Chinese immigrant entrepreneurs

This paper studies the influence of social capital on immigrant entrepreneurs’ risk-taking propensity. The paper has a particular focus on Chinese immigrants and also explores the effects of the so-called “guanxi”, a specific form of social capital for Chinese communities. The empirical research is based on a survey conducted in 2012 on Chinese immigrant entrepreneurs in Andalusia (Spain). An ordinal logistic regression specification was employed to test the hypotheses. The results show that the Chinese immigrant entrepreneurs with greater structural, relational and cognitive social capital and better “guanxi” have a higher risk-taking propensity in their business activity

Analysis of the economic feasibility and reduction of a building’s energy consumption and emissions when integrating hybrid solar thermal/PV/micro-CHP systems

The aim of this paper is to assess the performance of several designs of hybrid systems composed of solar thermal collectors, photovoltaic panels and natural gas internal combustion engines. The software TRNSYS 17 has been used to perform all the calculations and data processing, as well as an optimisation of the tank volumes through an add-in coupled with the GENOPT® software. The study is carried out by analysing the behaviour of the designed systems and the conventional case in five different locations of Spain with diverse climatic characteristics, evaluating the same building in all cases. Regulators, manufacturers and energy service engineers are the most interested in these results. Two major contributions in this paper are the calculations of primary energy consumption and emissions and the inclusion of a Life Cycle Cost analysis. A table which shows the order of preference regarding those criteria for each considered case study is also included. This was fulfilled in the interest of comparing between the different configurations and climatic zones so as to obtain conclusions on each of them. The study also illustrates a sensibility analysis regarding energy prices. Finally, the exhaustive literature review, the novel electricity consumption profile of the building and the illustration of the influence of the cogeneration engine working hours are also valuable outputs of this paper, developed in order to address the knowledge gap and the ongoing challenges in the field of distributed generation

Assessment of the photovoltaic potential at urban level based on 3D city models: A case study and new methodological approach

The use of 3D city models combined with simulation functionalities allows to quantify energy demand and renewable generation for a very large set of buildings. The scope of this paper is to determine the solar photovoltaic potential at an urban and regional scale using CityGML geometry descriptions of every building. An innovative urban simulation platform is used to calculate the PV potential of the Ludwigsburg County in south-west Germany, in which every building was simulated by using 3D city models. Both technical and economic potential (considering roof area and insolation thresholds) are investigated, as well as two different PV efficiency scenarios. In this way, it was possible to determine the fraction of the electricity demand that can be covered in each municipality and the whole region, deciding the best strategy, the profitability of the investments and determining optimal locations. Additionally, another important contribution is a literature review regarding the different methods of PV potential estimation and the available roof area reduction coefficients. An economic analysis and emission assessment has also been developed. The results of the study show that it is possible to achieve high annual rates of covered electricity demand in several municipalities for some of the considered scenarios, reaching even more than 100% in some cases. The use of all available roof space (technical potential) could cover 77% of the region’s electricity consumption and 56% as an economic potential with only high irradiance roofs considered. The proposed methodological approach should contribute valuably in helping policy-making processes and communicating the advantages of distributed generation and PV systems in buildings to regulators, researchers and the general public

Rentabilidad y crecimiento de las grandes empresas industriales españolas en comparación con las de la C.E.E. (1973-1982)

El artículo presenta una primera aproximación a las diferencias sistemáticas entre empresas españolas y comunitarias en términos de crecimiento, tamaño y rentabilidad. A través de la comparación de las mayores empresas en cada área, se asignan las diferencias en crecimiento y en el grado de estabilidad de las ventas y los beneficios a las diferencias en nacionalidad, sector y tamañ

An Economic, Energy, and Environmental Analysis of PV/Micro-CHP Hybrid Systems: A Case Study of a Tertiary Building

Our present standard of living depends strongly on energy sources, with buildings being a primary focus when it comes to reducing energy consumption due to their large contribution, especially in tertiary buildings. The goal of the present study is to evaluate the performance of two different designs of hybrid systems, composed of natural gas engines and photovoltaic panels. This will be done through simulations in TRNSYS, considering a representative office building with various schedules of operation (8, 12, and 24 h), as well as different climates in Spain. The main contributions of this paper are the evaluations of primary energy-consumption, emissions, and economic analyses for each scenario. In addition, a sensitivity analysis is carried out to observe the influence of energy prices, as well as that of the costs of the micro-CHP engines and PV modules. The results show that the scenario with the conventional system and PV modules is the most profitable one currently. However, if electricity prices are increased in the future or natural gas prices are reduced, the scenario with micro-CHP engines and PV modules will become the most profitable option. Energy service engineers, regulators, and manufacturers are the most interested in these results

Purification of Starch Granules from Arabidopsis Leaves and Determination of Granule-Bound Starch Synthase Activity

Starch constitutes the most important carbon reserve in plants and is composed of branched amylopectin and linear amylose. The latter is synthesized exclusively by the Granule-Bound Starch Synthase (GBSS, EC 2.4.1.21). Here we report a readily reproducible, specific and highly sensitive protocol, which includes the isolation of intact starch granules from Arabidopsis thaliana leaves and the subsequent determination of GBSS activity. We have applied this method to study GBSS activity in diurnal cycles in vegetative growth and during the photoperiodic transition to flowering in Arabidopsis (Tenorio et al., 2003; Ortiz-Marchena et al., 2014).España,MINECO CSD2007-00057, BIO2008-02292, and BIO2011-28847-C02-00España, Junta de Andalucía P06-CVI-01450 and P08-AGR-0358

Metodología de enseñanza en padel en niveles de iniciación

El objetivo principal del presente artículo es el aportar datos relacionados con las características que presenta la enseñanza y el aprendizaje del padel en niveles de iniciación. Algunos de los resultados obtenidos nos permiten identificar la existencia de un enfoque plurimetodológico que incide en los aspectos técnicos y tácticos de esta práctica deportiva. A estas conclusiones se han llegado gracias a las informaciones aportadas por el alumnado, los entrenadoresThe main objective of this research work is to present some data related with the main characteristics of the teaching and learning of paddle tennis at beginner’s level. Some of the results obtained, shows that there is a multi methodology approach which focus on the technical and tactical aspects of this sport. These conclusions were reached thanks to the information provided by players (learners) and coache

On the internationalization of SMEs and its contribution to Spain’s image abroad

Este artículo reivindica el papel de las PYME como actores estratégicos en la conformación de una buena imagen exterior de España. En el actual escenario de globalización, en el que la nacionalidad de las grandes corporaciones tiende a diluirse, las PYME podrían llegar a contribuir más establemente a la marca España por su vinculación más permanente y estrecha al territorio. Igualmente, en algunos contextos, como en el caso de Latinoamérica, las PYME podrían coadyuvar a una imagen más amable de España en el exterior. El trabajo presenta algunos rasgos esenciales del grado y tendencias de internacionalización de la PYME española. Desde esta perspectiva, el artículo analiza los mecanismos y condicionantes que delimitan la contribución potencial que las PYME pueden realizar a la marca España. Asimismo, se señalan algunas ventajas de asociar la imagen exterior de España a las PYME y algunas posibles iniciativas para mejorar la contribución de las PYME internacionalizadas a la marca España.This article vindicates the role of SMEs as strategic actors in shaping a good image of Spain abroad. In the current framework of globalization, the nationality of corporations tends to fade. Hence, SMEs could contribute more stably to improving the nation brand of Spain due to its more permanent and close linkage to the territory. Similarly, in some specific contexts, as in the case of Latin America, SMEs could contribute to a more friendly image of Spain abroad. The paper presents some essential characteristics and trends of the internationalization of Spanish SMEs. From this perspective, the article analyzes the mechanisms and factors which delimit the potential contribution that SMEs can make to the nation brand of Spain. Furthermore, the article points out some advantages of associating the external image of Spain with SMEs and some possible initiatives to enhance the contribution of internationalized SMEs to Spain’s national branding project