Port of Ferrol enlargement works, Spain

The Port of Ferrol is in the autonomous region of Galicia, in the north-west of the Iberian peninsula, in the ria of the same name. The port has traditionally specialised in bulk goods, mainly coal, scrap and petroleum products. An increase in traffic in the 1990s, combined with the diversification policy in the port authority activities, and the advisability to have a new container terminal, led the Port Authority to consider a major expansion project in the outer part of the ria. This paper provides an account of the works that were involved in this project (carried on from 2001 to 2005), known as the `Port of Ferrol enlargement works (outer harbour) ¿ 1st stage¿ and describes all the main construction processes (quarry, construction of breakwater, wharf, dredging processes, etc.) including the technological advances introduced at these work

Vision Statements of Port Authorities: A Benchmark Comparison

Strategic Planning is a widely spread culture in international port environments. A correct formulation of a Vision Statement is one of the pillars of any Strategic Plan. Although hundreds of references are available and easily accessible on ports’ websites, there has not been any research analysing in-depth the content of this open information. A massive review of the Vision Statement of 169 Port Authorities has been carried out. This information has been compared with a benchmark group of 55 leading corporations operating in different sectors globally. Conclusions regarding the differences between the formulation of Vision Statements in public and private-oriented sectors are offered. Besides, a segmentation of the sample has been carried out in a way that conclusions over regional effects on Vision Statement’s formulation can also be drawn

Employment and Gross Value Added Generated by Port Infrastructures: A Bibliographical Review and Empirical Findings to Support Policy Maker Decisions

A relevant factor to be considered by policy makers is the economic impact of their decisions on port investments. A structured system for assessing the economic impact of port infrastructures was developed in the mid-60s in the USA. From then, a great number of works in this field has been carried out considering different geographical environments and using different methodologies and approaches. In this work, a complete set of 27 Spanish ports are reviewed, first from a chronological point of view and later establishing a comparative analysis of different indicators of port product­­­ivity. Special focus is put on comparing the contribution of the ports in generating employment and creating Gross Value Added generated in the local and regional economy. Direct, indirect, and induced impacts in both the port industry and the industry dependent on the existence of the port and its activities are considered

Historia, evolución y perspectivas de futuro en la utilización de técnicas de simulación en la gestión portuaria: aplicaciones en el análisis de operaciones, estrategia y planificación portuaria

Programa Oficial de Doutoramento en Análise Económica e Estratexia Empresarial. 5033V0[Resumen] Las técnicas de simulación, tal y como hoy las conocemos, comenzaron a mediados del siglo XX; primero con la aparición del primer computador y el desarrollo del método Monte Carlo, y más tarde con el desarrollo del primer simulador de propósito específico conocido como GPS y desarrollado por Geoffrey Gordon en IBM y la publicación del primer texto completo dedicado a esta materia y llamado the Art of Simulation (K.D. Tocher, 1963). Estás técnicas han evolucionado de una manera extraordinaria y hoy en día están plenamente implementadas en diversos campos de actividad. Las instalaciones portuarias no han escapado de esta tendencia, especialmente las dedicadas al tráfico de contenedores. Efectivamente, las características intrínsecas de este sector económico, le hacen un candidato idóneo para la implementación de modelos de simulación con propósitos y alcances muy diversos. No existe, sin embargo y hasta lo que conocemos, un trabajo científico que compile y analice pormenorizadamente tanto la historia como la evolución de simulación en ambientes portuarios, ayudando a clasificar los mismos y determinar cómo estos pueden ayudar en el análisis económico de estas instalaciones y en la formulación de las oportunas estrategias empresariales. Este es el objetivo último de la presente tesis doctoral.[Resumo] As técnicas de simulación, tal e como hoxe as coñecemos, comezaron a mediados do século XX; primeiro coa aparición do computador e o desenvolvemento do método Monte Carlo e máis tarde co desenvolvemento do primeiro simulador de propósito específico coñecido como GPS e desenvolvido por Geoffrey Gordon en IBM e a publicación do primeiro texto completo dedicado a este tema chamado “A Arte da Simulación” (K.D. Tocher, 1963). Estas técnicas evolucionaron dun xeito extraordinario e hoxe en día están plenamente implementadas en diversos campos de actividade. As instalacións portuarias non escaparon desta tendencia, especialmente as dedicadas ao tráfico de contenedores. Efectivamente, as características intrínsecas deste sector económico, fanlle un candidato idóneo para a implementación de modelos de simulación con propósitos e alcances moi variados. Con todo, e ata o que coñecemos, non existe un traballo científico que compila e analiza de forma detallada tanto a historia como a evolución da simulación en estes ambientes portuarios, clasificando os mesmos e determinando como estes poden axudar na análise económica destas instalacións e na formulación das oportunas estratexias empresariais. Este é o último obxectivo da presente tese doutoral.[Abstract] Simulation, to the extend that we understand it nowadays, began in the middle of the 20th century; first with the appearance of the computer and the development of the Monte Carlo method, and later with the development of the first specific purpose simulator known as GPS developed by Geoffrey Gordon in IBM. This author published the first full text devoted to this subject “The Art of Simulation” in 1963. These techniques have evolved in an extraordinary way and nowadays they are fully implemented in different fields of activity. Port facilities have not escaped this trend, especially those dedicated to container traffic. Indeed, the intrinsic characteristics of this economic sector, make it a suitable candidate for the implementation of simulation with very different purposes and scope. However, to the best of our knowelegde, there is not a scientific work that compiles and analyzes in detail both, the history and the evolution of simulation in port environments, contributing to classify them and determine how they can help in the economic analysis of these facilities and in the formulation of different business strategies. This is the ultimate goal of this doctoral thesis

The impact of port governance and infrastructures on maritime containerized trade on the West Coast of Latin America

Latin American countries have historically had a strong dependence on trade, and are mostly characterized by being exporters of raw materials and importers of manufactured products. This fact has brought about a less negative impact of the world crisis on economic growth, mainly because of the high prices of raw materials. This paper focuses on this geographical area (the West Coast of Latin America) between 2008 and 2015, and adds to the literature by assessing institutional, port-related and economic factors that influence maritime transport. The analysis makes use of panel data models with fixed and random effects where the Hausman test has been applied in order to define a solid specification of all the ports, as well as to discount the particular peculiarities of each country. It is shown that the analysis of maritime transport requires the analysis of a number of variables apart from trade (volume of TEUs), infrastructures, superstructures (number of calls, gantry cranes), and that other variables, such as port governance, which are sometimes difficult to quantify, need also to be taken into account

Estudio paleontológico en las cuencas terciarias de Galicia

Se ha realizado una prospección paleontológica en nueve cuencas terciarias gnllegas, con el fin dc prccisar su edad y condiciones pnleoombiclltales. Presentamos los resultados obtenidos en base a hallazgos de micromamíferos, grandes mamíferos, peces, macrorestos vegetales y moluscos en las cuencas de As Pontes (A Coruila) y Roupar (Lugo). Las arci llas de los niveles inferiores de As Pontes contienen roedores, cuya edad corresponde al principio del Oligoceno superior (MP 25-26). Los lignitos inferiores han proporcionado un Antracotérido que probablemente corresponde también al Oligoceno. Las plantas de los niveles superiores pueden ser del Oligoceno o del Mioceno inferior. Las condiciones climáticas, siempre tropicales, debieron variar de cálidas a húmedas. En las arcillas inferiores hay peces y moluscos tanto dulceacuícolas como eurihalinos, y moluscos marinos litorales. Se apoyan con estos datos las hipótesis de contemporaneidad entre las cuencas de As Pontes y Roupar, y su carácter parálic

Economic impact studies on transportation infrastructures: the port case

Los Estudios de Impacto Económico en puertos son una herramienta muy extendida que empezaron a elaborarse en la década de los años 60 en Estados Unidos. Desde entonces, estos estudios han ido depurándose, eliminando algunas de sus limitaciones y restricciones y convergiendo hacia una metodología estándar que permiten realizar comparaciones entre los efectos de distintos puertos. El artículo analiza la evolución histórica de dichos estudios, indicando las diferentes variantes y sus limitaciones metodológicas y concluye con un resumen de los resultados obtenidos tanto a nivel internacional como en el caso particular del sistema portuario español. Se concluye el papel que tanto el tamaño del puerto como su estructura de tráficos tienen en los impactos que éste genera en términos de empleo, valor añadido y productividadEconomic Impact Studies in ports are a very widespread tool that began to be developed in the decade of the 60s in the United States. Since then, these studies have been refined, eliminating some of their limitations and restrictions and converging towards a standard methodology that allows comparisons between the effects of different ports. The article analyzes the historical evolution of these studies, indicating the different variants and their methodological limitations and concludes with a summary of the results obtained both internationally and in the particular case of the Spanish port system. It concludes the role that both the size of the port and its traffic structure have in the impacts it generates in terms of employment, added value and productivity.Universidad Pablo de Olavid

Operaciones portuarias de petróleo crudo: Una revisión bibliográfica sobre simulación e investigación operativa

[Resumen] Actualmente, el tráfico marítimo de crudo de petróleo y sus derivados sigue siendo un tráfico relevante, tanto desde un punto de vista geoestratégico como a nivel de volumen transportado. Dado el desequilibrio regional en términos de reservas, producción y consumo, se genera, por tanto, un importante tráfico marítimo, pero también una necesidad de la industria de optimizar los procesos con el objetivo de minimizar los costes y dar una respuesta eficiente en términos logísticos. Desde esta perspectiva, las técnicas de investigación operativa y la modelización de los tráficos para su optimización se presentan como una metodología muy conveniente y, a lo largo de los últimos setenta años, han empezado a publicarse estudios científicos con diferentes enfoques cualitativos y cuantitativos. El objetivo de esta investigación es recopilar, analizar y clasificar los modelos de tráfico de crudo de petróleo y sus derivados y ordenar la temática de las innovaciones introducidas. Para alcanzar este objetivo se realiza un recorrido bibliográfico conceptual indicando como se han ido introduciendo las sucesivas mejoras y, al mismo tiempo, eliminando las restricciones iniciales.[Abstract] The maritime traffic of crude oil and derivatives is still very relevant, both from a geostrategic perspective and regarding the total volume of liquid bulk shipped. Due to the regional imbalance in terms of reserves, production and consumption, important maritime traffic is generated, and a necessity for the industry of optimizing these processes, with the goal to minimize costs and give an efficient answer in logistic terms. From this perspective, the operation research techniques, and the traffic modeling techniques aimed at optimization, can be presented as a very convenient methodology over the last seventy years, a stream of scientific publications has emerged with different quantitative and qualitative focus. This research aims to gather, analyze and classify the traffic models of crude oil and derivatives and to order the innovation concepts gradually introduced. In order to achieve this goal, conceptual bibliographic research is performed showing how the subsequent improvements have been introduced and, at the same time, erasing the initial restriction

Effectiveness of an intervention for improving drug prescription in primary care patients with multimorbidity and polypharmacy:Study protocol of a cluster randomized clinical trial (Multi-PAP project)

This study was funded by the Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias ISCIII (Grant Numbers PI15/00276, PI15/00572, PI15/00996), REDISSEC (Project Numbers RD12/0001/0012, RD16/0001/0005), and the European Regional Development Fund ("A way to build Europe").Background: Multimorbidity is associated with negative effects both on people's health and on healthcare systems. A key problem linked to multimorbidity is polypharmacy, which in turn is associated with increased risk of partly preventable adverse effects, including mortality. The Ariadne principles describe a model of care based on a thorough assessment of diseases, treatments (and potential interactions), clinical status, context and preferences of patients with multimorbidity, with the aim of prioritizing and sharing realistic treatment goals that guide an individualized management. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a complex intervention that implements the Ariadne principles in a population of young-old patients with multimorbidity and polypharmacy. The intervention seeks to improve the appropriateness of prescribing in primary care (PC), as measured by the medication appropriateness index (MAI) score at 6 and 12months, as compared with usual care. Methods/Design: Design:pragmatic cluster randomized clinical trial. Unit of randomization: family physician (FP). Unit of analysis: patient. Scope: PC health centres in three autonomous communities: Aragon, Madrid, and Andalusia (Spain). Population: patients aged 65-74years with multimorbidity (≥3 chronic diseases) and polypharmacy (≥5 drugs prescribed in ≥3months). Sample size: n=400 (200 per study arm). Intervention: complex intervention based on the implementation of the Ariadne principles with two components: (1) FP training and (2) FP-patient interview. Outcomes: MAI score, health services use, quality of life (Euroqol 5D-5L), pharmacotherapy and adherence to treatment (Morisky-Green, Haynes-Sackett), and clinical and socio-demographic variables. Statistical analysis: primary outcome is the difference in MAI score between T0 and T1 and corresponding 95% confidence interval. Adjustment for confounding factors will be performed by multilevel analysis. All analyses will be carried out in accordance with the intention-to-treat principle. Discussion: It is essential to provide evidence concerning interventions on PC patients with polypharmacy and multimorbidity, conducted in the context of routine clinical practice, and involving young-old patients with significant potential for preventing negative health outcomes. Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT02866799Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Vicariance and dispersal in southern hemisphere freshwater fish clades: a palaeontological perspective

Widespread fish clades that occur mainly or exclusively in fresh water represent a key target of biogeographical investigation due to limited potential for crossing marine barriers. Timescales for the origin and diversification of these groups are crucial tests of vicariant scenarios in which continental break‐ups shaped modern geographic distributions. Evolutionary chronologies are commonly estimated through node‐based palaeontological calibration of molecular phylogenies, but this approach ignores most of the temporal information encoded in the known fossil record of a given taxon. Here, we review the fossil record of freshwater fish clades with a distribution encompassing disjunct landmasses in the southern hemisphere. Palaeontologically derived temporal and geographic data were used to infer the plausible biogeographic processes that shaped the distribution of these clades. For seven extant clades with a relatively well‐known fossil record, we used the stratigraphic distribution of their fossils to estimate confidence intervals on their times of origin. To do this, we employed a Bayesian framework that considers non‐uniform preservation potential of freshwater fish fossils through time, as well as uncertainty in the absolute age of fossil horizons. We provide the following estimates for the origin times of these clades: Lepidosireniformes [125–95 million years ago (Ma)]; total‐group Osteoglossomorpha (207–167 Ma); Characiformes (120–95 Ma; a younger estimate of 97–75 Ma when controversial Cenomanian fossils are excluded); Galaxiidae (235–21 Ma); Cyprinodontiformes (80–67 Ma); Channidae (79–43 Ma); Percichthyidae (127–69 Ma). These dates are mostly congruent with published molecular timetree estimates, despite the use of semi‐independent data. Our reassessment of the biogeographic history of southern hemisphere freshwater fishes shows that long‐distance dispersals and regional extinctions can confound and erode pre‐existing vicariance‐driven patterns. It is probable that disjunct distributions in many extant groups result from complex biogeographic processes that took place during the Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic. Although long‐distance dispersals likely shaped the distributions of several freshwater fish clades, their exact mechanisms and their impact on broader macroevolutionary and ecological dynamics are still unclear and require further investigation.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/148368/1/brv12473_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/148368/2/brv12473.pd