Estimate of the Potential Adoption of Genetically Modified Cotton by Farmers in Southern Spain and its Economic Implications

This paper analyses the potential adoption and economic on-farm impact of Bt cotton in the Andalusia region (southern Spain). Survey data have shown that, on average, 58% of the responding farmers know about genetically modified (GM) cotton. Another outcome of the survey is that 95% of the farmers declaring that they know about GM cotton would be willing to grow Bt cotton. In the main cotton-producing districts, farmers' attitudes are positive, and they would be willing to adopt the technology. In areas where the crop is more important, the farmers who are willing to adopt Bt cotton represent over 75% of the area under cotton. As regards the on-farm economic impact resulting from a potential adoption, the assessment is that savings on the cost of direct pest control will be achieved by reducing the number of insecticide treatments. This analysis is applied to a representative Andalusian cotton farm. On the basis of the worst-case scenario derived from a review of the literature on the economic performance of Bt cotton, a reduction of 2.6 insecticide treatments is assumed. For our representative farm this would result in a cost saving of € 148.2 per hectare.biotechnology, cotton, economic impact, Andalusia, Agricultural and Food Policy, Q16, Q20, Q12, O52,

Discovering learning processes using inductive miner: A case study with learning management systems (LMSs)

Resumen tomado de la publicaciónDescubriendo procesos de aprendizaje aplicando Inductive Miner: un estudio de caso en Learning Management Systems (LMSs). Antecedentes: en la minería de procesos con datos educativos se utilizan diferentes algoritmos para descubrir modelos, sobremanera el Alpha Miner, el Heuristic Miner y el Evolutionary Tree Miner. En este trabajo proponemos la implementación de un nuevo algoritmo en datos educativos, el denominado Inductive Miner. Método: hemos utilizado datos de interacción de 101 estudiantes universitarios en una asignatura de grado desarrollada en la plataforma Moodle 2.0. Una vez prepocesados se ha realizado la minería de procesos sobre 21.629 eventos para descubrir los modelos que generan los diferentes algoritmos y comparar sus medidas de ajuste, precisión, simplicidad y generalización. Resultados: en las pruebas realizadas en nuestro conjunto de datos el algoritmo Inductive Miner es el que obtiene mejores resultados, especialmente para el valor de ajuste, criterio de mayor relevancia en lo que respecta al descubrimiento de modelos. Además, cuando ponderamos con pesos las diferentes métricas seguimos obteniendo la mejor medida general con el Inductive Miner. Conclusiones: la implementación de Inductive Miner en datos educativos es una nueva aplicación que, además de obtener mejores resultados que otros algoritmos con nuestro conjunto de datos, proporciona modelos válidos e interpretables en términos educativos.Universidad de Oviedo. Biblioteca de Psicología; Plaza Feijoo, s/n.; 33003 Oviedo; Tel. +34985104146; Fax +34985104126; [email protected]

Determination of the Insulation Solution that Leads to Lower CO2 Emissions during the Construction Phase of a Building

The characteristics of the envelope of a building determine, together with other factors, its consumption of energy. Additionally, the climate zone and insulation material may vary the minimum insulation thickness of walls and roofs, making it different, according to cooling down or warming up the home. Spanish legislation establishes different maximum values for energy demand according to different climate area both for heating and for cooling. This paper presents the results of a study that determines the influence of many variables as the climate zone or the orientation, among others, in the optimization of thickness insulation in residential homes in Spain to reduce the CO2 emissions embodied. To do that, 12 representative cities in Spain corresponding to different climate zones, four orientations, two constructive solutions, and four different configurations of the same house have been combined, for three different hypotheses and four insulation materials, resulting in 4608 cases of study. The results show that, under equal conditions on energy demand, the optimal insulation requirements are determined by heating necessities more than by cooling ones. In addition, a higher insulation thickness need does not necessarily mean more CO2 emissions, since it can be compensated with a lower Global Warming Potential characterization factor that is associated to the insulation material. The findings of this study can serve to designers and architects to establish the better combination of the variables that are involved in order to minimize the CO2 emissions embodied during the construction phase of a building, making it more energy efficient

Variational Quantum Fidelity Estimation

Computing quantum state fidelity will be important to verify and characterize states prepared on a quantum computer. In this work, we propose novel lower and upper bounds for the fidelity F(ρ,σ) based on the “truncated fidelity'” F(ρ_m,σ) which is evaluated for a state ρ_m obtained by projecting ρ onto its mm-largest eigenvalues. Our bounds can be refined, i.e., they tighten monotonically with mm. To compute our bounds, we introduce a hybrid quantum-classical algorithm, called Variational Quantum Fidelity Estimation, that involves three steps: (1) variationally diagonalize ρ, (2) compute matrix elements of σ in the eigenbasis of ρ, and (3) combine these matrix elements to compute our bounds. Our algorithm is aimed at the case where σ is arbitrary and ρ is low rank, which we call low-rank fidelity estimation, and we prove that no classical algorithm can efficiently solve this problem under reasonable assumptions. Finally, we demonstrate that our bounds can detect quantum phase transitions and are often tighter than previously known computable bounds for realistic situations

El Programa Nacional de Becas Universitarias de Argentina: Características, implicancias y modificaciones. 2009 - 2017

Diversos han sido los factores que contribuyeron a la masificación del nivel deeducación superior universitario en Argentina, tanto por el lado de la oferta como por el lado de la demanda. Entre ellos cabe mencionar la gratuidad del nivel, el ingreso mayormente irrestricto, la ampliación de la oferta institucional, la masificación de la secundaria y la idiosincrasia argentina que define la educación como una vía de ascenso social.En este contexto de ampliación y masificación del sistema de educación superioruniversitario se implementan becas a algunos de sus estudiantes. Estas políticassocioeducativas focalizadas provienen tanto del nivel central, como de los estados provinciales y de las mismas universidades.En el presente trabajo analizaremos las distintas líneas de becas que integraban el Programa Nacional de Becas Universitarias de la Secretaría de Políticas Universitarias dependiente del Ministerio de Educación de la Nación. Para ello a partir de un análisis documental, caracterizaremos al Programa, daremos cuenta de los aspectos que se tuvieron en cuenta para la construcción del perfil de sus destinatarios entre 2009 y 2017,así como también los supuestos existentes en sus criterios de ingreso y permanencia.Diverse factors have contributed to the massification of the higher education in Argentina, both on the offer and the demand side. Among them, it is worth mentioning the gratuity of the level, the lack of a selection process and selection exams, the expansion of the institutional offer, the massification of the secondary and the Argentine idiosyncrasy where education is the central way of socio-ascendant mobility In this context of expansion and massification of the university higher education system scholarships are implemented to some of its students. These targeted socio-educational policies come from the national level state, as well as from the provincial states and the universities themselves. In the present work we analyze, using documentary research, the characteristics of the different scholarship programs that integrated the National University Scholarship Program of the Department of University Policies under the National Education Ministry. Also will describe these socio-educational policies from the target-pupils perspective and the assumptions that exist in its selection criteria between 2009 and 2017.Fil: Cerezo, Leticia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Saavedra 15. Centro de Innovación de los Trabajadores. Universidad Metropolitana para la Educación y el Trabajo. Centro de Innovación de los Trabajadores; Argentin

Factorization and Criticality in Finite XXZ Systems of Arbitrary Spin

We analyze ground state (GS) factorization in general arrays of spins si with XXZ couplings immersed in nonuniform fields. It is shown that an exceptionally degenerate set of completely separable symmetry-breaking GSs can arise for a wide range of field configurations, at a quantum critical point where all GS magnetization plateaus merge. Such configurations include alternating fields as well as zero-bulk field solutions with edge fields only and intermediate solutions with zero field at specific sites, valid for d-dimensional arrays. The definite magnetization-projected GSs at factorization can be analytically determined and depend only on the exchange anisotropies, exhibiting critical entanglement properties. We also show that some factorization-compatible field configurations may result in field-induced frustration and nontrivial behavior at strong fields.Fil: Cerezo, M. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Física La Plata. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Física La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Rossignoli, Raúl Dante. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Física La Plata. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Física La Plata; Argentina. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas; ArgentinaFil: Canosa, Norma Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Física La Plata. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Física La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Ríos, E.. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional; Argentin