Exergoecology assessment of mineral exports from Latin America: Beyond a tonnage perspective

Latin America has traditionally been a raw material supplier since colonial times. In this paper, we analyze mineral exports from an exergoecology perspective from twenty countries in Latin American (LA-20). We apply material flow analysis (MFA) principles along with the concept of the exergy replacement cost (ERC), which considers both quantity and thermodynamic quality of minerals, reflecting their scarcity in the crust. ERC determines the energy that would be required to recover minerals to their original conditions in the mines once they have been totally dispersed into the Earth''s crust, with prevailing technology. Using ERC has helped us identify the importance of certain traded minerals that could be overlooked in a traditional MFA based on a mass basis only. Our method has enabled us to determine mineral balance, both in mass (tonnes) and in ERC terms (Mtoe). Using indicators, both in mass and ERC, we have assessed the self-sufficiency and dependency of the region. We have also analyzed the mineral exports flows from Latin America for 2013. Results show that half of the mineral production from LA-20 was mainly exported. High-quality minerals, such as, gold, silver, and aluminum were largely exported to China and the United States. Extraction of high-quality minerals also implies higher losses of natural stock and environmental overburdens in the region

Avoided energy cost of producing minerals: The case of iron ore

There is growing concern about the decline of the ore grade in mines and the increased energy usage for processing and refining metals. In the limit, where no concentrated deposits exist, minerals must be obtained from bare rock. A method for quantitatively assessing the “free bonus” granted by nature in providing concentrated minerals in mines and thus assessing the quality of the different resources is estimating how much energy is needed to concentrate the minerals, as they are already in mines, from bare rock. This bonus granted by nature reduces the costs of human mining and metallurgical processes, as well as the mining effort required of future generations. In this study, the concentration of high-iron-content minerals in common rocks was investigated via a computational model developed using the HSC software. As expected, the range of results for the specific energy for the concentration of iron from common rocks was considerably higher than the energy required by modern processes. This reveals the need to value current iron deposits and the challenge of developing sustainable methods of metal production to satisfy the needs of the present and future generations

Harinosidad en manzana: un sondeo a los detallistas de fruta de Madrid

La harinosidad de la manzana es un aspecto de difícil definición y apreciación externa por parte del consumidor e incluso del experto, pero que devalúa la calidad del fruto y merma su consumo. En este articulo se resume la investigación de mercado hecha con un enfoque behaviourista entrevistando a 187 fruteros del área de Madrid metropolitano. Se les preguntó por aspectos como el concepto de harinosidad, donde, cuando, por qué. cómo se vende la manzana harinosa. También como se podría evitar y el efecto que tiene la llegada a nuestros mercados de las frutas del Hemisferio Su

Harinosidad en manzana y melocotón: sondeo a los consumidores de Madrid

La harinosidad, tanto en manzana como en melocotón, es una característica sobre la cual el consumidor muestra un completo desconocimiento, como se demuestra en la encuesta realizada a un total de 768 consumidores de Madrid; en la muestra se seleccionaron distintos barrios de la ciudad, varios lugares de compra y personas de diferente sexo y edad para ver cómo influyen estos factores en su comportamiento y en sus preferencias. En general, se observa que el comportamiento del consumidor está guiado por las características sensoriales de una determinada fruta y por su capacidad para identificar visualmente determinadas variedades que gustativamente han resultado de su agrado

El control del tratamiento superficial de los tapones de corcho

Es bien sabido que el corcho como material posee una serie de características que le hacen susceptible de múltiples aplicaciones industriales (ligereza, elasticidad, compresibilidad, impermeabilidad, elevado rozamiento, aislante térmico etc.) de las cuales la más importante es la fabricación de tapones para el embotellado de los mejores caldos. Esto no solamente se debe al punto de vista económico (por el valor añadido que aporta), sino a lo que representa culturalmente en el mundo del vino. Un buen comportamiento de los tapones en el proceso de encorchado, así como de su permanencia en botella hasta el destapado, está íntimamente ligado a una serie de características de naturaleza físico-mecánica inherentes al corcho, al riguroso y cuidado proceso de fabricación y, de forma muy importante, a los tratamientos superficiale

Projecting more sustainable product and service designs

Product and service development based on sustainable criteria is one of the poles of innovation in design activity. Public policies, consumer preferences, and corporate social responsibility lead to the growing importance of applying sustainability principles in the current design process. However, to make this practice widespread, sustainability assessment must be included in the curricula of bachelor’s and master’s degrees in design, so that the graduates have the precise tools to use when they start their professional careers. Furthermore, sustainable design methods have mainly been applied to improve only the environmental behavior of products. In this work, a methodology that simultaneously evaluates environmental, economic, and social aspects was applied to project more sustainable designs of products and services. This approach was implemented in higher education to develop Bachelor’s and Master’s degree final projects by design engineering students. Collaboration with different companies and institutions allowed the study of a number of cases. The production process of a cash management machine, the service provided by a public nursery school, and the development of an itinerary exhibition were addressed. In each case, product and service requirements were analyzed, sustainability indicators were obtained, and more sustainable designs could be proposed. This experience is also part of a global strategy at the University of Zaragoza to support the implementation of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, enhancing sustainability education. The intention of this paper is to present a methodology for more sustainable design, and examples of its application that other teachers can easily follow when teaching design of products or services. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Sustainability in the design of an itinerant cultural exhibition. Study of two alternatives

The sustainability improvement of museums and exhibitions is a recent concern for multiple organisations. The application of sustainability criteria is one of the most important strategies of innovation in design activities, products, and service systems. This study analyses the sustainability of two alternatives to an itinerant cultural exhibition service. The exhibition travels to 12 destinations over 3 years and is within a space of 300 m2. In the first alternative, the contents are printed and exposed on a physical medium, and in the second, audiovisual media projects the contents on the walls. Life cycle sustainability assessment is applied to evaluate the impacts in the environmental dimension and the economic and social dimensions. The calculation of indicators, such as the greenhouse gas emissions, total costs, and working time, which are referred to each sustainability dimension, is conducted. A descriptive, comparative study was performed to identify the impact factors with a higher incidence. The results demonstrate that the audiovisual exhibition is more sustainable than the printed exhibition, with a difference of 8.7%, 7%, and 6.6% in GWP100, CE, and TW indicators, respectively. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Intravascular myopericytoma in the heel: Case report and literature review

Intravascular myopericytoma (IVMP), regarded as a variant of myopericytoma, is a rare tumor. Very few cases have been described, none in the foot. The first case of IVMP located in the heel of the foot is described in this article. A literature review is reported of all cases of IVMP published in the English literature. A 48-year-old man possessed an IVMP on the heel of the right foot. The physical examination and histopathological and ultrasound studies are described. The literature review yielded 5 cases of IVMP, 2 of which were in the thigh and 1 each in the oral mucosa, the periorbital region, and the leg. The possibility that these lesions may be malignant suggests that the histopathological study of vascular tumors should include immunohistochemical tests

A new surgical procedure for hallux limitus treatment: Double-V osteotomy on the base of the proximal phalanx of the hallux

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the new Double-V osteotomy of the first metatarsophalangeal joint (1 st MPJ) in patients with hallux limitus (HL). A study of 66 patients was performed, 33 patients were treated Cheilectomy and 33 were treated Double-V. All patients underwent an assessment of the passive mobility of the 1 st MPJ before the procedure, reevaluated 12 months later evaluating dorsiflexion, plantarflexion, and patients status using both the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) for Hallux Metatarsophalangeal-Interphalangeal Scale. In comparing the improvement achieved regarding the increase of mobility obtained with surgical treatment, the feet operated with procedure Double-V gained significant degrees of movement increased in all analyzed parameters (P<.05). We achieved 13.33° more than average in dorsiflexion motion and 2.12° more than average in plantarflexion with regard to the feet that were operated with Cheilectomy procedure. Double-V scores on the AOFAS scale improved significantly (P=.000) 91.48 points postoperative, while with the following Cheilectomy only 79.30 points. This new surgical technique, easy to perform and with low complexity in surgical execution and a minimum of complications, produces better clinical and functional results that Cheilectomy alone

Aircraft icing: in-cloud measurements and sensitivity to physical parameterizations

The prediction of supercooled cloud drops in the atmosphere is a basic tool for aviation safety, owing to their contact with and instant freezing on sensitive locations of the aircraft. One of the main disadvantages for predicting atmospheric icing conditions is the acquisition of observational data. In this study, we used in‐cloud microphysics measurements taken during 10 flights of a C‐212 research aircraft under winter conditions, during which we encountered 37 regions containing supercooled liquid water. To investigate the capability of the Weather Research and Forecasting model to detect regions containing supercooled cloud drops, we propose a multiphysics ensemble approach. We used four microphysics and two planetary boundary layer schemes. The Morrison parameterization yielded superior results, whereas the planetary boundary layer schemes were essential in evaluating the presence of liquid water content. The Goddard microphysics scheme best detected the presence of ice water content but tended to underestimate liquid water content