Who leads Research Productivity Change? Guidelines for R&D policy makers

Relying on efficiency analysis we evaluate to what extent policy makers have been able to promote the establishment of consolidated and comprehensive research groups to contribute to the implementation of a successful innovation system for the Spanish food technology sector, oriented to the production of knowledge based on an application model. Using data envelopment analysis techniques and Malmquist productivity indices we find pervasive levels of inefficiency and a typology of different research strategies. Among these, in contrast to what has been assumed, established groups do not play the pre-eminent benchmarking role; rather, partially oriented, specialized and "shooting star" groups are the most common patterns. These results correspond with an infant innovation system, where the fostering of higher levels of efficiency and promotion of the desired research patterns are ongoing.Innovation Policy; Management; Productivity Change; Malmquist Index; Distance Function

Master of Science

thesisEstablished characteristics of aerated submerged biofilm reactors (ASBRs) include sustenance of multiple microclimates within the system, high biomass accumulation, and highly diverse bacterial population. Besides presenting important advantages over the traditional use of suspended growth activated sludge systems, these properties also make ASBRs a more suitable environment for the achievement of simultaneous carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus removal from sewage. By incorporating air cycling into their operation, simultaneous carbon and nutrient removal employing ASBRs has been well established and documented. Airon and air-off intervals promote the coexistence of aerobic, anoxic and anaerobic zones within the system, allowing the concurrentbiological metabolization of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus compounds. This research assessed the simultaneous carbon and nutrient removal potential of specially designed structures treating primary clarified municipal wastewater effluent at low temperatures. For this, two pilot-scale bioreactors were constructed and operated during 115. One bioreactor held a series of six dome shaped aerated submerged biofilm devices, called Poo-Gloos, while the second bioreactor held a series of six aeration bases, intended to emulate a controlling suspended growth process. With both bioreactors receiving the exact same influent wastewater constitution and flow rate, and with operational variables adjusted equally to both reactors on a weekly basis, a quantitative, qualitative and comparative analysis of the nutrient removal capacity of the two systems was performed. In terms of COD removal, average weekly percentage removals of up to 77±5% and as low as 50±5% were achieved by the Poo-Gloo system under air cycling conditions. In contrast, the control system exhibited an average weekly removal percentage range between 8±8% and 39±6%. In terms of total nitrogen (TN) removal, a consistent increase in average weekly removal percentages from 42±6% to 47±3%, and to 49±4% was observed in the case of the Poo-Gloo system conforming air-off periods were increased from 2 hours to 3 hours, and to 4 hours, respectively. In contrast, the control system exhibited an erratic behavior under air cycling conditions achieving weekly percentage removals in the range between -7±13% and 14±5%. Finally, in terms of total phosphorus (TP) removal, an optimum air cycling composition of 21 hours on/3 hours off was observed, allowing for the largest average weekly TP percentage removal achieved, 22±4%. Meanwhile, the control system accomplished an average weekly removal percentage of only 0 ±6% under the same air cycling conditions

Repercusión del uso de puntos de referencia en la adquisición de habilidades de orientación espacial por escolares de 5 años: estudio de casos

En este poster presentamos un estudio de casos de la posible repercusión del uso de puntos de referencia (Clements, 1998) en la adquisición de habilidades relativas a la orientación espacial con escolares de 5 años del aula de Educación Infantil. En particular, basándonos en un enfoque contextualizado y globalizado de la enseñanza matemática (Alsina, 2012; Berdonneau, 2008) se han diseñado dos experiencias de aula con las que pretendemos que las y los infantes trabajen la orientación espacial

Payments for Pioneers? Revisiting the Role of External Rewards for Sustainable Innovation under Heterogeneous Motivations

© 2017, Elsevier Acknowledging the diversity of preferences, goals and motivations of individuals is key to promote the effectiveness of incentive-based conservation interventions. This paper analyses the heterogeneity of motivations to adopt silvopastoral practices, a social-ecological innovation for soil conservation and carbon emission reduction. We use Q methodology to identify smallholders' views with regard to these practices in a community in the forest frontier in Chiapas (Mexico). The analysis uncovers three main perspectives: self-sufficient pioneers, environmentally-conscious followers and payment-dependent conservatives. We discuss these perspectives around three topics: smallholders' predisposition to adopt silvopastoral practices, their views about needing external payments to sustain their livelihood and the diffusion of innovative sustainable practices. We relate these perspectives with livelihood characteristics and with observed adoption levels under a pilot programme to promote silvopasture. Our findings suggest that incentives other than payments may be more appropriate for those more likely to adopt, and that payments could encourage rent-seeking strategies and not necessarily promote permanent behavioural change. We suggest ways for designing more effective and adaptive environmental conservation programmes to foster adoption and continuation of social-ecological innovations

The effect of sodium fluorescein angiography on erythrocyte properties

© 1998 – IOS Press. All rights reservedSodium fluorescein angiography is a widely used routine ophthalmological diagnostic procedure which enables the study of chorioretinal microcirculation and consists of the injection of sodium fluorescein into the systemic bloodstream. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether or not fluorescein interferes with erythrocyte properties during the angiographic procedure. In a group of 37 patients, 26 with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (DM) with and without retinopathy, and 11 without diabetes mellitus (non-DM) although affected by other ophthalmological diseases, all undergoing routine angiography, blood samples were drawn before (T0) and 30 min (T30) after fluorescein injection. The erythrocyte aggregation index (EAI), membrane lipid fluidity and erythrocyte acetylcholinesterase activity were determined in both groups. After fluorescein injection there was no statistical change in EAI and erythrocyte membrane fluidity in either group. Erythrocyte acetylcholinesterase activity, a marker of membrane protein integrity, decreased significantly (p < 0:01) in the DM group. Membrane lipid fluidity did not change with fluorescein injection, however, (i) in the DM group erythrocyte membranes became more rigid than in the non-DM (DPH: p < 0:01); (ii) EAI and membrane lipid fluidity became significantly correlated (r = 0:6263, p < 0:05) in non-DM patients at T30. In conclusion, fluorescein administration for angiographic procedures seems to interact with erythrocyte membrane, namely, in diabetic patients, which may interfere with the blood flow in the microcirculation

Surface integrity of additive manufacturing parts: a comparison between optical topography measuring techniques

Additive Manufacturing (AM) presents significant industry-specific advantages allowing the creation of complex geometries and internal features that cannot be produced using conventional manufacturing processes. However, a current limitation of AM is the degraded dimensional control and surface integrity of specific surfaces. The parts are constructed through layer-by-layer approach, each layer presenting a characteristic ‘fingerprint’. The functional performance of the final part is influenced by the morphology of the outer surface as well as by the surface quality introduced at intermediate layers. Surface texture metrology therefore can play an enabling role in AM-related manufacture and research. The use of optical topography measurement instrumentation allows for a high level of detail in the acquisition of topographic information. Some of the most commonly used optical measuring instruments are Vertical Scanning Interferometry (CSI), Imaging Confocal Microscopy (CONF), and Focus Variation (FV), each one has benefits and drawbacks in terms of acquisition time and measurement resolution. AM surfaces overall present complex topographical features, requiring the acquisition of large surface areas and large z-scans which considerably increases the acquisition time. Speed is a key factor in industrial practice, and time optimization is required for quality control and surface analysis before down-stream processes. This paper reports on the measurement and characterisation of the surface texture of metal powder bed fusion AM parts. All measurements were performed in the same SENSOFAR S-NEOX instrument using the commonly used optical technologies (CSI, CONF, and FV) and the latest step in confocal measurement technology called Continuous Confocal (C-CONF). The resolution and acquisition time of each technique is analysed in order to check the suitability of each method to characterize and describe the AM surface microstructures in a time-efficient way

Amaranthus kloosianus Hunz.

MaimarápublishedVersio

Spontaneous magnetization of aluminum nanowires deposited on the NaCl(100) surface

We investigate electronic structures of Al quantum wires, both unsupported and supported on the (100) NaCl surface, using the density-functional theory. We confirm that unsupported nanowires, constrained to be linear, show magnetization when elongated beyond the equilibrium length. Allowing ions to relax, the wires deform to zig-zag structures with lower magnetization but no dimerization occurs. When an Al wire is deposited on the NaCl surface, a zig-zag geometry emerges again. The magnetization changes moderately from that for the corresponding unsupported wire. We analyse the findings using electron band structures and simple model wires.Comment: submitted to PHys. Rev.

The expression of tubulin cofactor A (TBCA) is regulated by a noncoding antisense Tbca RNA during testis maturation

BACKGROUND: Recently, long noncoding RNAs have emerged as pivotal molecules for the regulation of coding genes' expression. These molecules might result from antisense transcription of functional genes originating natural antisense transcripts (NATs) or from transcriptional active pseudogenes. TBCA interacts with β-tubulin and is involved in the folding and dimerization of new tubulin heterodimers, the building blocks of microtubules. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We found that the mouse genome contains two structurally distinct Tbca genes located in chromosomes 13 (Tbca13) and 16 (Tbca16). Interestingly, the two Tbca genes albeit ubiquitously expressed, present differential expression during mouse testis maturation. In fact, as testis maturation progresses Tbca13 mRNA levels increase progressively, while Tbca16 mRNA levels decrease. This suggests a regulatory mechanism between the two genes and prompted us to investigate the presence of the two proteins. However, using tandem mass spectrometry we were unable to identify the TBCA16 protein in testis extracts even in those corresponding to the maturation step with the highest levels of Tbca16 transcripts. These puzzling results led us to re-analyze the expression of Tbca16. We then detected that Tbca16 transcription produces sense and natural antisense transcripts. Strikingly, the specific depletion by RNAi of these transcripts leads to an increase of Tbca13 transcript levels in a mouse spermatocyte cell line. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results demonstrate that Tbca13 mRNA levels are post-transcriptionally regulated by the sense and natural antisense Tbca16 mRNA levels. We propose that this regulatory mechanism operates during spermatogenesis, a process that involves microtubule rearrangements, the assembly of specific microtubule structures and requires critical TBCA levels