Webs of the power companies. Power companies and communication. Image of the power companies.

Este artículo analiza las páginas webs de las principales compañías operantes en el sector de la energía (electricidad y gas) de los países más desarrollados. La situación actual del mercado es muy significativa. Por primera vez en la historia, las administraciones centrales de estos países han consentido liberalizar el mercado energético. Y, aunque este proceso avanza con gran lentitud, comienzan a notarse cambios que anticipan un proceso de concentración, a través de compras, fusiones y acuerdos operativos. En este panorama, juega un importante papel la imagen de las compañías y la comunicación con sus usuarios, y esto sucede también en los medios digitales. En este artículo estudiamos cómo las diferentes compañías utilizan su página web para reforzar su posicionamiento e imagen de cara a los consumidores y también para comenzar a incorporar servicios, buscando una mayor interactividad entre compañía y usuarios. Para realizar este artículo los autores han estudiado a fondo todas las páginas webs de las principales compañías del sector, en el curso de una investigación modalidad Artículo 83 LOU realizada recientemente por los autores en la Universidad Complutense de Madrid.This article analyzes the web pages of the major companies in the energy market (electricity and gas) of the more developed countries (EU and North America). The present situation of the market is very significant: For the first time, the Government of these countries have given permission to liberalize the power market. This process goes on very slowly but we can see now some changes that leads to a process of concentration, through acquisitions, merges and commercial agreements between the companies. In this situation, the image of the companies and the communication with the consumers plays an important role and this happens also in the digital media. In this article we study how the different companies uses their web page to reinforce their positioning, and image. And also how they start incorporating new services looking for a better interactivity between the company and the consumers. The authors have studied the web of the major companies, obtaining the data during an official investigation prepared in the University Complutense of Madrid

From the “event advertising” to the emotional values: the sector of the energy in Spain

Este artículo estudia desde un punto de vista cuantitativo y cualitativo la publicidad de las empresas del sector energético de nuestro país en un momento peculiar: justo antes de que la liberalización del sector provoque cambios en el panorama de los operadores del sector (compras, fusiones o uniones operativas) y en consecuencia de sus estrategias de comunicación persuasiva.El artículo enmarca la situación del sector energético en la Unión Europea y su posible evolución durante los próximos años, utilizando estudios de la Unión Europea, la Agencia Internacional de Energía y el Ministerio de Industria. A continuación, examina la inversión publicitaria del sector energético español, comparando sus diferentes peculiaridades y su evolución en los últimos años. Por último, analiza las campañas de las principales empresas anunciantes, profundizando en los valores emitidos y su posicionamiento competitivo ante los consumidores, tratando de obtener un espacio diferencial y definido, pero también congruente con la sensibilidad de la ciudadanía por el crecimiento sostenible. De esta forma, se estudian los cambios experimentados en estas campañas durante los últimos años, apreciando una marcada evolución desde las campañas ostentosas y corporativas hacia un tipo de comunicación basado en los registros emocionales y socioconscientes.This article studies -from a quantitative and qualitative point of view- the advertising of the companies of the Spanish energy market in a very interesting moment: just before the liberalization of this market brings about important changes in the structure of the companies (acquisitions, merges, operative unions…) and their strategies of persuasive commercial communication.First of all, this article observes the situation of the energy market in the European Union and its evolution, studying reports from the European Union, the International Agency of Energy and the Spanish Ministry of Industry. Next, it studies the global investment in advertising o the Spanish power sector, by comparing its different peculiarities and their evolution in the last years. And finally, this article analyzes the campaigns of the main companies, evaluating their core values and their competitive positioning, trying to obtain a differential space sharply defined, but also alligned with the philosophies of the sustainable growth. It also studies the changes in these campaigns during the last years, appreciating a strong evolution from the campaigns based in the corporate values towards a type of communication based in the emotional and socioconscients values

Examining desorptive capacity in supply chains: the role of organizational ambidexterity

Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explain how a buying organization’s desorptive capacity relative to its supply network enhances the organization’s supply chain competence. The research also analyzes the contingent role of the balanced and combined dimensions of ambidexterity in this relationship. Design/methodology/approach – Empirical results are obtained through analysis of survey data from a sample of 270 European firms. Hierarchical regression analysis is used to test the hypotheses. Findings – The results confirm, first, the positive and significant relationship between the buying organization’s desorptive capacity and supply chain competence; and, second, the key moderating role of organizational ambidexterity, especially in its combined dimension, in this relationship. Practical implications – The study suggests that desorptive capacity is key to the organization’s contribution to supply chain competitiveness. The authors also provide practitioners with better understanding of the extent to which they should attempt to balance exploration and exploitation or/and to maximize both simultaneously when seeking greater benefit from desorptive capacity. Originality/value – This study extends desorptive capacity research to supply chain management. It responds to calls in the desorptive capacity literature for deeper understanding of the benefits of desorptive capacity and of the role organizational ambidexterity plays in the success of desorptive capacity. By analyzing the independent effects of the combined and balanced dimensions of ambidexterity, the authors advance conceptual and operational understanding of the role of ambidexterity needed in the literatur

Celiac Immunogenic Potential of α-Gliadin Epitope Variants from Triticum and Aegilops Species

The high global demand of wheat and its subsequent consumption arise from the physicochemical properties of bread dough and its contribution to the protein intake in the human diet. Gluten is the main structural complex of wheat proteins and subjects affected by celiac disease (CD) cannot tolerate gluten protein. Within gluten proteins, α-gliadins constitute the most immunogenic fraction since they contain the main T-cell stimulating epitopes (DQ2.5-glia-α1, DQ2.5-glia-α2, and DQ2.5-glia-α3). In this work, the celiac immunotoxic potential of α-gliadins was studied within Triticeae: diploid, tetraploid, and hexaploid species. The abundance and immunostimulatory capacity of CD canonical epitopes and variants (with one or two mismatches) in all α-gliadin sequences were determined. The results showed that the canonical epitopes DQ2.5-glia-α1 and DQ2.5-glia-α3 were more frequent than DQ2.5-glia-α2. A higher abundance of canonical DQ2.5-glia-α1 epitope was found to be associated with genomes of the BBAADD, AA, and DD types; however, the abundance of DQ2.5-glia-α3 epitope variants was very high in BBAADD and BBAA wheat despite their low abundance in the canonical epitope. The most abundant substitution was that of proline to serine, which was disposed mainly on the three canonical DQ2.5 domains on position 8. Interestingly, our results demonstrated that the natural introduction of Q to H at any position eliminates the toxicity of the three T-cell epitopes in the α-gliadins. The results provided a rational approach for the introduction of natural amino acid substitutions to eliminate the toxicity of three T-cell epitopes, while maintaining the technological properties of commercial wheats

Evaluación de un algoritmo para detección de áreas quemadas en bosques de Canarias

Se aplicó un clasificador bayesiano, inicialmente desarrollado y validado con éxito para la detección de áreas quemadas en regiones de bosque boreal usando el conjunto de datos LTDR (Long-Term Data Record) de 0,05º (~ 5 km) de resolución espacial, a una serie temporal de imágenes diarias Terra-MODIS de zonas forestales de Monteverde y Pinar de las Islas Canarias para el periodo 2002-2012. A partir de los dos productos MODIS, MOD09GQ (250 m) y MOD11A1 (1 km), que representan las imágenes diarias de reflectancia y temperatura de superficie respectivamente, se construyeron compuestos de 10 días mediante el criterio de máxima temperatura. Las variables estadísticas utilizadas en el clasificador bayesiano fueron los índices de vegetación GEMI y BBFI, junto con la banda espectral NIR, todos ellos relativos al año anterior y al año de ocurrencia del incendio. Se crearon polígonos de referencia de los 14 incendios mayores de 100 hectáreas identificados en el periodo analizado, utilizando conjuntamente imágenes LANDSAT post-fuego e información oficial de la base de datos nacional de incendios forestales del Ministerio de Agricultura, Alimentación y Medio Ambiente (MAGRAMA). El algoritmo de detección se entrenó usando un incendio producido en el sur de Tenerife en julio de 2012 que afectó a más de 6000 ha. Los resultados muestran que 13 de los 14 incendios registrados en ese periodo en el conjunto de las Islas Canarias, fueron detectados. El área total quemada detectada supone un 64,9% de los datos de referencia del MAGRAMA y un 78,6% según los datos obtenidos a partir de las imágenes LANDSAT. La aplicación de la metodología propuesta podría mejorar estos resultados considerando otros criterios de composición, índices de vegetación, variables estadísticas y/o región de entrenamiento, que mejor caractericen la respuesta espectral de la dinámica de la cobertura forestal de las Islas Canarias afectada por el fueg

Ianus Augustus, Caput Viae (Mengíbar, Jaén): An interprovincial monumental border in Roman Hispania

Recent research undertaken as part of the Iliturgi Project has located the remains of an Early Imperial building complex linked to the Via Augusta. They include the foundations of an arch and a monumental platform whose size and characteristics allow it to be identified as the Ianus Augustus, a monumental complex near the River Baetis that marked the limit between the Roman provinces of Baetica and Tarraconensis. Its location makes it a reference point for our knowledge of the ancient geography of Hispania and for understanding Roman interprovincial frontiers. Geophysical prospections in its surroundings have also revealed the possible remains of a bridge across the river.This study was carried out as part of the Excellence Project entitled “Methodology for the archaeological study of battlefields and sieges in the context of the Second Punic War: The Battle of the Metaurus and the sieges of Iliturgi and Castulo (207–206 BCE)” (HAR2016-77847-P), Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities of Spain

Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes CECT5344, a cyanide‑degrading bacterium with by‑product (polyhydroxyalkanoates) formation capacity

Background: Cyanide is one of the most toxic chemicals produced by anthropogenic activities like mining and jewelry industries, which generate wastewater residues with high concentrations of this compound. Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes CECT5344 is a model microorganism to be used in detoxification of industrial wastewaters containing not only free cyanide (CN−) but also cyano-derivatives, such as cyanate, nitriles and metal-cyanide complexes. Previous in silico analyses suggested the existence of genes putatively involved in metabolism of short chain length (scl-) and medium chain length (mcl-) polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) located in three different clusters in the genome of this bacterium. PHAs are polyesters considered as an alternative of petroleum-based plastics. Strategies to optimize the bioremediation process in terms of reducing the cost of the production medium are required. Results: In this work, a biological treatment of the jewelry industry cyanide-rich wastewater coupled to PHAs production as by-product has been considered. The functionality of the pha genes from P. pseudoalcaligenes CECT5344 has been demonstrated. Mutant strains defective in each proposed PHA synthases coding genes (Mpha−, deleted in putative mcl-PHA synthases; Spha−, deleted in the putative scl-PHA synthase) were generated. The accumulation and monomer composition of scl- or mcl-PHAs in wild type and mutant strains were confirmed by gas chromatographymass spectrometry (GC–MS). The production of PHAs as by-product while degrading cyanide from the jewelry industry wastewater was analyzed in batch reactor in each strain. The wild type and the mutant strains grew at similar rates when using octanoate as the carbon source and cyanide as the sole nitrogen source. When cyanide was depleted from the medium, both scl-PHAs and mcl-PHAs were detected in the wild-type strain, whereas scl-PHAs or mcl-PHAs were accumulated in Mpha− and Spha−, respectively. The scl-PHAs were identified as homopolymers of 3-hydroxybutyrate and the mcl-PHAs were composed of 3-hydroxyoctanoate and 3-hydroxyhexanoate monomers. Conclusions: These results demonstrated, as proof of concept, that talented strains such as P. pseudoalcaligenes might be applied in bioremediation of industrial residues containing cyanide, while concomitantly generate by-products like polyhydroxyalkanoates. A customized optimization of the target bioremediation process is required to gain benefits of this type of approaches

Poly(l-lactide)-Based Anti-Inflammatory Responsive Surfaces for Surgical Implants

In the last few decades, surgical implants have been widely used to restore the function of damaged bones or joints. However, it is essential to receive antibiotic or anti-inflammatory treatment to circumvent significant problems associated, such as the colonization of the implanted surface by bacteria or other microorganisms and strong host inflammatory responses. This article presents the effectiveness of the copper catalyzed alkyne-azide cycloaddition (CuAAC) (“click”) reaction by the linkage of a fluorophore to the poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) surface. The results were analysed by means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), contact angle and fluorescence microscopy. Moreover, this current work describes the covalent immobilization of the anti-inflammatory drug indomethacin on a PLLA surface. The CuAAC click reaction was selected to anchor the drug to the polymeric films. The successful bioconjugation of the drug was confirmed by XPS and the change on the contact angle

La villa romana de Salar (Granada). El programa escultórico en contexto arqueológico

This work was carried out within the framework of the Project HAR2017-89004-P, sponsored by the Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad of the Government of Spain and with ERDF Funds (Fondos FEDER), and the Project PID2019-105294GB-100/AEI/10.13039/501100011033, sponsored by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion of the Government of Spain and with ERDF Funds(Fondos FEDER); as well as the Research Groups HUM 143 and HUM 402 (Plan Andaluz de Investigacion of the Junta de Andalucia). We thank the City Council of Salar (Granada) for supporting the systematic archaeological excavation project in villa Salar, approved bythe Junta de Andalucia (Consejeria de Cultura y Patrimonio Historico) as a General Research Project.During the last decade various excavation campaigns have taken place at the Roman villa of Salar (Granada, Spain), located in the province Baetica. The excavated sector corresponds to the area surrounding a large peristyle of the pars urbana. Presiding over the open courtyard on one of the shorter sides is a triclinium, which in turn is associated with a nymphaeum. The ambulacrum on the opposite side of the peristyle was also excavated, uncovering a mosaic pavement with an interesting hunting scene, as well as other rooms that open onto it. In this work, the typological and iconographic study of the sculptural program recovered is carried out. The sculptural assemblage consists of 1) two nymph sculptures discovered in the nymphaeum associated with the triclinium; and 2) a Capitoline type Venus statue, which possibly decorated another fountain located on the southern side of the peristyle. The archaeological context and petrographic analyses add to the study of the pieces, as well as the analysis of this sculptural program related to nymphaea and garden environments.Durante la última década se han desarrollado varias campañas de excavación en la villa romana de Salar (Granada, España), situada en la provincial romana de la Bética. El sector excavado corresponde a la pars urbana, articulada en torno a un gran peristilo central. Presidiendo uno de los lados cortos del patio abierto se sitúa el triclinium, asociado con un nymphaeum. El ambulacrum en el lado opuesto del peristilo ha sido también excavado, descubriéndose un pavimento de mosaico con una interesante escena de caza, así como otras habitaciones que abren a este patio. En este trabajo se aborda el estudio tipológico e iconográfico del programa escultórico de la villa. El conjunto está integrado por: dos esculturas de ninfas, descubiertas en el nymphaeum asociado con el triclinium; y 2) una estatua de Venus, tipo Capitolina, que posiblemente decorase otra fuente, localizada en el lado sur del peristilo. El contexto arqueológico y los análisis petrográficos se integran en el estudio de las piezas, así como el análisis del programa escultórico del nymphaeum y el jardín circundante.Spanish Government HAR2017-89004-PERDF Funds (Fondos FEDER)Spanish Government PID2019-105294GB-100/AEI/10.13039/501100011033ERDF Funds(Fondos FEDER) Junta de Andalucia HUM 143 HUM 40