A Review of Multi-Criteria Assessment of the Social Sustainability of Infrastructures

[EN] Nowadays multi-criteria methods enable non-monetary aspects to be incorporated into the assessment of infrastructure sustainability. Yet evaluation of the social aspects is still neglected and the multi-criteria assessment of these social aspects is still an emerging topic. Therefore, the aim of this article is to review the current state of multi-criteria infrastructure assessment studies that include social aspects. The review includes an analysis of the social criteria, participation and assessment methods. The results identify mobility and access, safety and local development among the most frequent criteria. The Analytic Hierarchy Process and Simple Additive Weighting methods are the most frequently used. Treatments of equity, uncertainty, learning and consideration of the context, however, are not properly analyzed yet. Anyway, the methods for implementing the evaluation must guarantee the social effect on the result, improvement of the representation of the social context and techniques to facilitate the evaluation in the absence of information.This research was funded by the Government of Chile under the Doctoral Fellowship Program Abroad (grant CONICYT-2015/72160059), the project DIUFRO DI14-0096 and the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness along with FEDER funding (Projects BIA2014-56574-R and BIA2017-85098-R).Sierra-Varela, LA.; Yepes, V.; Pellicer, E. (2018). A Review of Multi-Criteria Assessment of the Social Sustainability of Infrastructures. Journal of Cleaner Production. 187:496-513. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.03.022S49651318

What’s happening to the European electricity market?

This paper deals with market power and information issues in the ongoing process of the European Electricity Market. We present a regulatory game played among the key group of utilities, the customers and the regulatory authority. The development of the game allows us to state for a clear commitment to entry freedom reducing the informational strategic advantage of incumbents. As the assumption of such a commitment involves another game, we develop it and we conclude that the liberalisation of entry is also a key factor for credibility and effectiveness of flexible regulation and tariffs reduction as well.peer-reviewe

Superconductivity and charge carrier localization in ultrathin La1.85Sr0.15CuO4/La2CuO4\mathbf{{La_{1.85}Sr_{0.15}CuO_4}/{La_2CuO_4}} bilayers

$\mathrm{La_{1.85}Sr_{0.15}CuO_4}$/$\mathrm{La_2CuO_4}$ (LSCO15/LCO) bilayers with a precisely controlled thickness of N unit cells (UCs) of the former and M UCs of the latter ([LSCO15\_N/LCO\_M]) were grown on (001)-oriented {\slao} (SLAO) substrates with pulsed laser deposition (PLD). X-ray diffraction and reciprocal space map (RSM) studies confirmed the epitaxial growth of the bilayers and showed that a [LSCO15\_2/LCO\_2] bilayer is fully strained, whereas a [LSCO15\_2/LCO\_7] bilayer is already partially relaxed. The \textit{in situ} monitoring of the growth with reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) revealed that the gas environment during deposition has a surprisingly strong effect on the growth mode and thus on the amount of disorder in the first UC of LSCO15 (or the first two monolayers of LSCO15 containing one $\mathrm{CuO_2}$ plane each). For samples grown in pure $\mathrm{N_2O}$ gas (growth type-B), the first LSCO15 UC next to the SLAO substrate is strongly disordered. This disorder is strongly reduced if the growth is performed in a mixture of $\mathrm{N_2O}$ and $\mathrm{O_2}$ gas (growth type-A). Electric transport measurements confirmed that the first UC of LSCO15 next to the SLAO substrate is highly resistive and shows no sign of superconductivity for growth type-B, whereas it is superconducting for growth type-A. Furthermore, we found, rather surprisingly, that the conductivity of the LSCO15 UC next to the LCO capping layer strongly depends on the thickness of the latter. A LCO capping layer with 7~UCs leads to a strong localization of the charge carriers in the adjacent LSCO15 UC and suppresses superconductivity. The magneto-transport data suggest a similarity with the case of weakly hole doped LSCO single crystals that are in a so-called {"{cluster-spin-glass state}"

Bayesian network method for decision-making about the social sustainability of infrastructure projects

[EN] Nowadays, sustainability assessment tends to focus on the biophysical and economic aspects of the built environment. The social aspects are generally overestimated during an infrastructure evaluation. This study proposes a method to optimize infrastructure projects by assessing their social contribution. This proposal takes into account the infrastructure¿s interactions with the local environment in terms of its potential contribution in the short and long term. The method is structured in three stages: (1) preparation of a decision-making model, (2) formulation of the model, and (3) implementation of the model through optimization of infrastructure projects from the social sustainability viewpoint. The theory of Bayesian reasoning and a harmony search optimization algorithm are used to carry out the research. The paper presents the application to a case study of a set of alternatives for road infrastructure projects in El Salvador. This approach creates a model of participative decision-making. The results show that the method can distinguish socially efficient alternatives from the short and long-term contributions. In addition, the results suggest that some variables are less sensitive to the short and long-term maximization, while others vary their values to improve one objective or the other. The findings are directly applied to a real case. The method can be employed in the infrastructure formulation and prioritization phases and complemented with economic and environmental sustainability assessments.This research was funded by the Government of Chile under the Doctoral Fellowship Abroad Program (grant CONICYT-2015/72160059) and the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness along with FEDER funding (project BIA2014-56574-R). The authors are grateful to both the United Nations Development Programme and the Ministry of Public Works, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development of El Salvador for their participation in the implementation of the proposed method (Project 00074250).Sierra-Varela, LA.; Yepes, V.; García-Segura, T.; Pellicer, E. (2018). Bayesian network method for decision-making about the social sustainability of infrastructure projects. Journal of Cleaner Production. 176:521-534. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.12.140S52153417

Stem cells and bronchial stump healing

ObjectiveBronchial stump dehiscence is still the most feared complication for the thoracic surgeon, with mortality rates ranging from 25% to 75%. This study reports the histologic effect of adult stem cells in the healing process of the bronchial stump after lung resection.MethodsA left pneumonectomy was performed in 36 Wistar rats. Half of them received previously labeled bone marrow-derived stem cells applied to the bronchial stump. In each group, 7 rats were sacrificed on day 7 and 11 rats were sacrificed on day 21. Macroscopic variables and histopathologic features were analyzed.ResultsOn days 7 and 21, there were fewer adhesions in the stem cell group (P = .042 and .031, respectively). Bronchial stump restitutio ad integrum on day 21 was found predominantly in rats from the stem cell group (P = .012). At that time, the same group showed significantly less inflammation in every layer of the stump (P < .050).ConclusionsBone marrow-derived stem cells administered topically on a bronchial stump are able to migrate, reach the bronchial wall, and participate in the healing process. This induces fewer adhesions, less inflammatory response, and better regeneration of the tissue

Intercalation processes and diffusion paths of lithium ions in spinel-type structured Li1+xTi2O4: density functional theory study

Intercalation processes and corresponding diffusion paths of Li ions into spinel-type structured Li1+xTi2O4 0 x 0.375 are systematically studied by means of periodic density functional theory calculations for different compositions and arrangements. An analysis of the site preference for intercalation processes is carried out, while energy barriers for the diffusion paths have been computed in detail. Our results indicate that the Li insertion is thermodynamically favorable at octahedral sites 16c in the studied composition range, and Li migration from tetrahedral sites 8a to octahedral sites 16c stabilizes the structure and becomes favorable for compositions x 0.25. Diffusion paths from less stable arrangements involving Li migrations between tetrahedral and octahedral sites exhibit the lowest energy barrier since the corresponding trajectories and energy profiles take place across a triangle made by three neighboring oxygen anions without structural modification. Theoretical and experimental diffusion coefficients are in reasonable agreemen

Ventajas del Pionero: El rol de las instituciones desde un estudio de caso

A pesar del constante interés por la explicación de las ventajas de ser pionero, la literatura existente sigue teniendo vacíos sobre cómo el moverse primero implica un mejor desempeño. La visión institucional como elemento fortalecedor a los mecanismos de aislamiento y a las diferentes aportaciones existentes en la literatura alrededor de la teoría de las ventajas de ser pionero es examinada en este documento por medio de un estudio de caso al mercado de la telefonía móvil en Colombia. La visión institucional es examinada desde las medidas regulatorias impuestas por el gobierno, las cuales determinan las posiciones del mercado y ponen en evidencia cómo desde las instituciones también se aporta a la construcción teórica de los beneficios de ser el primero en moverse.<br /

Sector-wide analysis of early childhood development and education in emergencies in Colombia and considerations to strengthen systems globally

There is an urgent need to strengthen early childhood development and education in emergencies (ECDEiE) globally. Colombia has faced protracted and acute crises for decades. Also, the country has applied a unique approach to holistic and integrated ECDE policy formulation. We argue that these characteristics offer a valuable country-case to identify barriers and levers to the operationalization of ECDEiE. We applied a sector-wide analysis protocol that harmonized components of the Humanitarian Programme Cycle by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee and of a framework to characterize the governance of ECDE systems. The study outlines how the policy and program characteristics identified may represent levers or barriers to the effective operationalization of ECDEiE in Colombia. We discuss how these attributes could be considered in the trans-sectoral dialogue between ECDE and humanitarian actors with the aim of strengthening ECDEiE systems globally

Microwave-hydrothermal synthesis of single-crystalline Co3O4 spinel nanocubes

An efficient microwave-hydrothermal (MAH) method has been developed for the synthesis of highly crystalline Co3O4 spinel nanocubes via beta-Co(OH)(2) without any surfactant assistance. The structure and surface chemical composition along the growth process are studied. The effects as well as the merits of the MAH method on the processing and characteristics of obtained Co3O4 spinel nanocubes are highlighted