Automatic classification of public procurement contracts

RESUMEN: Este proyecto tiene como objetivo el desarrollo de un producto software que permita realizar una clasificación automática, con la máxima precisión posible, del mayor número de contratos públicos del Gobierno de Cantabria, en relación a unas dimensiones predefinidas: Naturaleza del gasto y Objeto de administración. La fuente de datos contiene una serie de textos descriptivos de los contratos de los años 2014-2015 y la clase correspondiente a la que pertenece el contrato según la dimensión. Los textos constan de diferente vocabulario que describe las solicitudes de contrato. Gran parte de este vocabulario, e incluso simbología, carece de significado a la hora de clasificar los contratos en las diferentes clases. Por lo tanto, el propósito de este proyecto es aplicar diversas técnicas de preprocesado de los datos de entrada para eliminar el vocabulario irrelevante de los textos y conseguir que contengan únicamente el vocabulario necesario y relevante con respecto a la categoría de clasificación. El tamaño variable y la estructura sin formato de los textos no son procesables por los algoritmos de clasificación. Así, el siguiente paso es convertir los textos en vectores de características numéricas a través del cálculo del term frequency-inverse document frequency (tf-idf). Por último, se aplican diferentes algoritmos de clasificación pertenecientes al aprendizaje supervisado: regresión logística, máquinas de vector soporte (SVM), árboles de decision, Random Forest y el clasificador Naive Bayes. Los resultados se analizan a través de tres métricas diferentes (accuracy, matriz de confusión, precision y recall), que muestran diversas conclusiones para cada uno de los clasificadores empleados.ABSTRACT: The aim of this project is to develop a software product that is able to classify automatically, with the highest possible accuracy, the largest number of public procurement contracts from the Government of Cantabria, in relation to predefined dimensions: Naturaleza del gasto y Objeto de administración. Available data contains a text collection describing public procurement contracts from 2014 and 2015, and the corresponding category to which the contract belongs according to the dimension. Texts consist of different vocabulary that describes the contract. Most of words and symbology do not provide relevant information to classify the contracts into different categories. Therefore, the purpose of this project is to apply several data preprocesssing techniques to take out irrelevant vocabulary from the texts and to exclusively obtain the necessary and important words regarding the category of classification. The variable size and unformatted structure of the texts are not actionable by the algorithms. Thus, the next step is to convert the texts into numerical characteristics vectors through the term frequency-inverse document frequency (tf-idf). Finally, some supervised learning algorithms are applied: logistic regression, support vector machines (SVM), decision trees, Random Forest and Naive Bayes classifier. Results are analysed using three metrics (accuracy, confusion matrix, precision and recall), showing relevant conclusions for each of the classifiers employed.Máster en Ciencia de Dato

The fishing and seafood sector in the time of COVID-19: Considerations for local and global opportunities and responses

This paper provides an overview of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the fishing sector over the world, including several economic, social, environmental, and health challenges that the fisheries have had to face during the early days of the health crisis and some of them still continue today. These problems, in short, are translated into a decrease in seafood demand, loss of jobs, changes in food consumption habits, economic losses or increased vulnerability of the industry. As consequence, governments have been forced to implement regulations and measures in support of this sector. However, a positive aspect of the pandemic also stands out; the opportunity to transform the food system to be greener, more inclusive, and resilient against future shocks.This work was supported by the EAPA_576/2018 NEPTUNUS project. The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support of Interreg Atlantic Are

Energy systems in the food supply chain and in the food loss and waste valorization processes: a systematic review

ABSTRACT: The intensity in energy consumption due to food production systems represents a major issue in a context of natural resources depletion and an increasing worldwide population. In this framework, at least a third of global food production is being lost or wasted. Moreover, about 38% of the energy embedded in total food production is being lost. Consequently, the assessment of energy consumption in food systems, and in food loss and waste valorization systems, is an increasing trend in recent years. In this line, this work presents a systematic review, selecting 74 articles from a search of 16,930 papers regarding the key words "energy assessment food". The aim was to determine the current and historical trends in this field of research. Results pointed to a worldwide acceleration in trends since 2014, standing out in China and other Asian countries. Concerning the topics of the publications, energy consumption in the food sector is a research field which has existed since 1979. Moreover, the study of energy valorization systems using food loss and waste is an increasing trend since 2010. Additionally, publications focused on the water-energy-food nexus appeared firstly in 2014 and have grown exponentially. Moreover, life cycle assessment highlights as the most widespread methodology used.The authors are grateful for the funding of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the KAIROS-BIOCIR project (PID2019-104925RB) (AEO/FEDER, UE)

Environmental performance of Cantabrian (Northern Spain) pelagic fisheries: assessment of purse seine and minor art fleets under a life cycle approach

The perpetuation of fishing activity from an environmentally, socially and economically sustainable approach is essential to guarantee not only the future of coastal populations, but also the supply of high-value seafood for society and the safeguarding of cultural heritage. This article aims to assess the environmental performance associated with fishing fleet operations in Cantabria (northern Spain) under a life cycle thinking from a holistic approach. Thus, the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology was applied under a "cradle-to-port" approach, setting the functional unit as 1 kg of fresh fish landed. Inventory data on the main inputs and outputs were collected from a sample of 57 vessels covering for the first time the main techniques, purse seine and minor art fisheries. The results identified that the vessel use stage was the responsible of most of the impacts. In line with the literature, diesel consumption stood as the chief hotspot in six of the seven impact categories analysed. Purse seiners got a value of 0.25 kg of fuel per kg of fish landed, while the performance of the minor art fleet showed significantly lower consumption (0.07). Regarding impacts on climate change, this study found a quantity of 1.00 and 0.34 kg CO2 eq. per FU, for purse seine and minor arts, respectively. These figures were consistent with the expected results for pelagic fisheries. For the remaining indicators, purse seiners generally performed worse. The LCA methodology provided outcomes that allow the proposal of potential improvements and measures to foster the transition towards a more sustainable smart-fishing sector. Further research efforts should focus on the development and implementation of renewable energy and low-carbon vessel propulsion technologies.This work was supported by the EAPA_576/2018NEPTUNUS project. The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support of Interreg Atlantic Area

Toward energy savings in campus buildings under a life cycle thinking approach

Recent studies have identified that buildings all over the world are great contributors to energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The relationship between the building industry and environmental pollution is continuously discussed. The building industry includes many phases: extraction of raw materials, manufacturing, construction, use, and demolition. Each phase consumes a large amount of energy, and subsequent emissions are released. The life cycle energy assessment (LCEA) is a simplified version of the life cycle assessment (LCA) that focuses only on the evaluation of energy inputs for different phases of the life cycle. Operational energy is the energy required for day-to-day operation processes of buildings, such as heating, cooling and ventilation systems, lighting, as well as appliances. This use phase accounts for the largest portion of energy consumption of the life cycle of conventional buildings. In addition, energy performance certification of buildings is an obligation under current European legislation, which promotes efficient energy use, so it is necessary to ensure that the energy performance of the building is upgraded to meet minimum requirements. For this purpose, this work proposes the consideration of the energy impacts and material resources used in the operation phase of a building to calculate the contribution of these energy impacts as new variables for the energy performance certification. The application of this new approach to the evaluation of university buildings has been selected as a case study. From a methodological point of view, the approach relied on the energy consumption records obtained from energy and materials audit exercises with the aid of LCA databases. Taking into practice the proposed methodology, the primary energy impact and the related emissions were assessed to simplify the decision-making process for the energy certification of buildings. From the results obtained, it was concluded that the consumption of water and other consumable items (paper) are important from energy and environmental perspectives

Primary Immune Regulatory Disorders With an Autoimmune Lymphoproliferative Syndrome-Like Phenotype: Immunologic Evaluation, Early Diagnosis and Management

Primary immune regulatory disorders (PIRD) are associated with autoimmunity, autoinflammation and/or dysregulation of lymphocyte homeostasis. Autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS) is a PIRD due to an apoptotic defect in Fas-FasL pathway and characterized by benign and chronic lymphoproliferation, autoimmunity and increased risk of lymphoma. Clinical manifestations and typical laboratory biomarkers of ALPS have also been found in patients with a gene defect out of the Fas-FasL pathway (ALPS-like disorders). Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA), we identified more than 600 patients suffering from 24 distinct genetic defects described in the literature with an autoimmune lymphoproliferative phenotype (ALPS-like syndromes) corresponding to phenocopies of primary immunodeficiency (PID) (NRAS, KRAS), susceptibility to EBV (MAGT1, PRKCD, XIAP, SH2D1A, RASGRP1, TNFRSF9), antibody deficiency (PIK3CD gain of function (GOF), PIK3R1 loss of function (LOF), CARD11 GOF), regulatory T-cells defects (CTLA4, LRBA, STAT3 GOF, IL2RA, IL2RB, DEF6), combined immunodeficiencies (ITK, STK4), defects in intrinsic and innate immunity and predisposition to infection (STAT1 GOF, IL12RB1) and autoimmunity/autoinflammation (ADA2, TNFAIP3,TPP2, TET2). CTLA4 and LRBA patients correspond around to 50% of total ALPS-like cases. However, only 100% of CTLA4, PRKCD, TET2 and NRAS/KRAS reported patients had an ALPS-like presentation, while the autoimmunity and lymphoproliferation combination resulted rare n other genetic defects. Recurrent infections, skin lesions, enteropathy and malignancy are the most common clinical manifestations. Some approaches available for the immunological study and identification of ALPS-like patients through flow cytometry and ALPS biomarkers are provided in this work. Protein expression assays for NKG2D, XIAP, SAP, CTLA4 and LRBA deficiencies and functional studies of AKT, STAT1 and STAT3 phosphorylation, are showed as useful tests. Patients suspected to suffer from one of these disorders require rapid and correct diagnosis allowing initiation of tailored specific therapeutic strategies and monitoring thereby improving the prognosis and their quality of life

How to achieve the sustainability of the seafood sector in the European Atlantic Area?

Climate change, globalization or marine debris are on the spot of concerns for the most society. Particularly, fisheries are impacted by these and other issues. On the framework of the European Atlantic area, NEPTUNUS project (EAPA_576_2018) tries to provide opportunities for the transition to the circular economy of the seafood and aquaculture sectors by means of a consistent methodology for products eco-labelling and defining eco-innovation strategies. Furthermore, this project will provide key actions for resource efficiency based on life cycle thinking and the nexus water-energy-food, incorporating producers, policy makers and consumers in the decision-making process. This review addresses, therefore, the threats and challenges of the current Atlantic fisheries, the methodologies and actions to be face them and the expected results of the NEPTUNUS projectThis work was supported by the EAPA_576/2018 NEPTUNUS project. The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support of Interreg Atlantic Are

From the sea to the table: the environmental impact assessment of fishing, processing, and end-of-life of albacore in Cantabria

Cantabria, a small coastal region of Northern Spain, is one of the biggest producers of gourmet tuna cans in Europe. The fish capture in the Cantabrian Sea and the subsequent transformation in a local processing plant give distinction to this product, which is widely marketed in cans of 105 g of net weight. This work evaluates for the first time the environmental profile of the whole supply chain of this product, from fishing, processing, and waste valorization to inter-stage transport and packaging management in the end-of-life. To this end, the life cycle assessment methodology was applied considering primary data from the stakeholders involved in the supply chain and analyzing the seven most studied categories in this sector. Results revealed that fishing and processing accounted for the majority of the environmental impacts, while valorization and end-of-life treatments only avoid less than 10% of the burdens. The most important findings are focused on the high dependence on fuel use, identified as a hotspot in most stages although low compared to other fisheries, and on the intensive use of resources, especially sunflower oil, which contributes more than 70% of the impact on the global warming potential of the processing. This current framework forces the enhancement of the efficiency of a sector that attempts to engage the challenge of societal sustainability, by identifying the critical points and guiding policy makers on the path to sustainable development.This work was supported by the EAPA_576/2018NEPTUNUS project. The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support of Interreg Atlantic Area. The authors are grateful for the funding of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the KAIROS-BIOCIR project (PID2019-104925RB) (AEO/FEDER, UE). Ana Fernández thanks the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness of Spanish Government for their financial support via the research fellowship RE2020-094029. We also want to thank the fishermen and those responsible for the processing plant for the provision of the data

A novel composite index for the development of decentralized food production, food loss, and waste management policies: A water-climate-food nexus approach

The United Nations has adopted 17 sustainable development goals for 2030 with environmental sustainability being one of the main pillars. A key point to address this pillar is the proper management of waste generation. Within the broad spectrum of waste types, food loss and waste is produced worldwide in large quantities. In this framework, the development of composite indexes is recommended to measure the level of compliance of any context with Sustainable Development Goals. This work presents a novel composite index for food loss and waste generation and management systems, the so-called sustainable development goals-food (SDG-Food) index, aiming to determine the level of compliance of any concrete national, regional, or local context regarding five different sustainable development goals with a water-climate-food nexus thinking. The pilot case study of Spain is presented by analyzing the environmental performance between 2015 and 2040 in a context of (i) compliance and (ii) non-compliance with the Paris Agreement targets. Additionally, four different diets are assessed. Results suggested a numerical index score of 13.79, highlighting the categories of eggs, cereals, meat, and vegetables, and the stages of agricultural production and consumption, as the furthers ones for compliance with the five SDG assessed. Moreover, the scenario of compliance with the Paris agreement targets presented better values for all stages, and a vegan diet was highlighted as the one with the best index score.This research was funded by Spanish Ministry of Science and Competitiveness, grant number CERES-PROCON Project CTM2016-76176-C2-1-R (AEI/FEDER, UE) and KAIROS-BIOCIR Project PID2019-104925RB (AEO/FEDER, UE)

Regionalized Strategies for Food Loss and Waste Management in Spain under a Life Cycle Thinking Approach

Food loss and waste (FLW) has become a central concern in the social and political debate. Simultaneously, using FLW as a bioenergy source could significantly contribute to closing the carbon cycle by reintroducing energy into the food supply chain. This study aims to identify best strategies for FLW management in each of the 17 regions in Spain, through the application of a Life Cycle Assessment. To this end, an evaluation of the environmental performance over time between 2015 and 2040 of five different FLW management scenarios implemented in a framework of (i) compliance and (ii) non-compliance with the targets of the Paris Agreement was performed. Results revealed savings in the consumption of abiotic resources in those regions in which thermal treatment has a strong presence, although their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in a scenario of compliance with climate change targets are higher. In contrast, scenarios that include anaerobic digestion and, to a lesser extent those applying aerobic composting, present lower impacts, including climate change, suggesting improvements of 20–60% in non-compliance and 20–80% in compliance with Paris Agreement targets, compared to the current scenarios