Sustainable Agriculture: A Way Out of Food Poverty

The most fundamental human right is the right to food (UN General Assembly, 2002). Proper nutritious food is the precondition for normal human development. Well-nourished children are more likely to succeed in learning and are less susceptible to diseases. But low-income, food-importing economies are facing increasing difficulties in accessing staple food items. Chronic food insecurity persists, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. The recent economic crisis drove more than 100 million people into hunger in 2008 alone. Is sustainable agriculture a solution?Sustainable Agriculture: A Way Out of Food Poverty

Democracy and Poverty: A Lesson from Mongolia

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5564/mjia.v0i18.66 Mongolian Journal of International Affairs No.18 2013: 11-1

Simulación eléctrica de líneas ferroviarias electrificadas para el diseño de un sistema de almacenamiento de energía para la recarga de vehículos eléctricos.

Los objetivos específicos del proyecto Ferrolinera 3.0 son los siguientes: · Desarrollar los elementos constitutivos de la Ferrolinera como nuevo sistema de recarga de vehículos eléctricos. o Estructura o Sistema de carga lenta y/o carga rápida. o Almacenamiento de la energía generada en el frenado de los trenes. o Plataforma de gestión remota. o Sistema de gestión del usuario. · Desarrollar el sistema de apoyo fotovoltaico a la Ferrolinera · Instalar y probar los elementos anteriores. · Validación y generación de especificaciones técnicas. · Analizar la fabricación y comercialización posterior del producto para todos los entornos ferroviarios, incluyendo la exportación del mismo a otros países. Este proyecto de ADIF es muy amplio, y por esta razón, tal y como se ha indicado anteriormente, este trabajo fin de máster sólo se ocupará de una parte dentro de la etapa de diseño del sistema de almacenamiento de energía generada en el frenado de los trenes. Dentro de esta etapa de diseño, se pueden diferenciar 2 sub-etapas: · Evaluación de los sistemas ferroviarios electrificados mediante la experimentación con un Simulador Eléctrico. · Diseño del sistema de almacenamiento de energía con los elementos adecuados según el estudio previo. Como se ha indicado, este trabajo fin de máster se ocupa de realizar el estudio y evaluación de los distintos elementos que podemos introducir en un sistema ferroviario electrificado mediante un Simulador Eléctrico para su posterior integración en el diseño del sistema de almacenamiento de energía. A continuación se explicará con más detalle las fases previas del proyecto Ferrolinera, se realiza un estudio de los elementos que formarán parte del sistema de almacenamiento de energía –baterías y supercondensadores-. Posteriormente se realiza un estudio acerca de los proyectos internacionales relacionados con la materia y por último nos centramos en el simulador Eléctrico y la simulación de 2 escenarios ferroviarios electrificados, una línea de metro de Madrid y un tramo de la Línea de Alta Velocidad Madrid – Barcelona.Departamento de Ingeniería EléctricaMáster en Ingeniería de Automoció

Marinas as habitats for nearshore fish assemblages: comparative analysis of underwater visual census, baited cameras and fish traps

Understanding the ecological role that artificial structures might play on nearshore fish assemblages requires the collection of accurate and reliable data through efficient sampling techniques. In this work, differences in the composition and structure of fish assemblages between the inner and outer sides of three marinas located in the temperate northern-eastern Atlantic Ocean were tested using three complementary sampling techniques: underwater visual censuses (UVC), baited cameras (BCs) and fish traps (FTs). UVCs and BCs recorded a comparable number and relative abundance of species, which in turn were much greater than those recorded by FTs. This finding supports the use of UVCs and BCs over FTs for broad ecologically studies, especially when dealing with structurally complex habitats such as artificial structures. We found differences in fish assemblage structure between the inner and outer sides of marinas, independently of the sampling method. Four small-sized species (Similiparma lurida, Thalassoma pavo, Sarpa salpa and Symphodus roissali) associated with structurally complex vegetated habitats dominated, in terms of abundance, the outer sides of marinas; Diplodus vulgaris, Diplodus sargus and Gobius niger, species with high ecological plasticity in habitat requirements, dominated the inner sides of marinas. The information provided in this study is of great interest for developing sound monitoring programmes to ascertain the effects of artificial structures on fish communities.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The Asian Workforce in New Zealand's Economy

Significant changes in the composition of New Zealand’s population over the last two decades have resulted in greater ethnic diversity in New Zealand, especially in our workforce. These changes have several labour market implications such as changing attitudes, values and approach to work. The 2006 Census showed that Asians comprised the fourth largest major group of ethnicities in New Zealand, comprising 9.2 percent of our population. This proportion is expected to increase to approximately 15 percent by 2026 – which will almost equal the Maori workforce. As it is important to understand and improve the performance of New Zealand’s labour market, the Department of Labour has recently released a report, The Asian Workforce: a critical part of New Zealand’s current and future labour market, which examines the characteristics of the Asian workforce in New Zealand.2 This looks at their qualifications and skills; and the distinct areas of the labour market they occupy. This report also makes an attempt to disaggregate the collective term ‘Asian' into four sub­groups: North Asian, Southeast Asian, South Asian and Other Asian in order to provide a better understanding of each of these diverse subgroups. Asians are a growing part of the New Zealand population. Understanding their contribution to the future workforce and the skills they will bring will help support the government’s economic growth agenda, by ensuring New Zealand has the skills it needs

Measuring Job Vacancies in New Zealand Through Jobs Online

The Department of Labour released a new online job vacancy monitoring series – Jobs Online – in December 2009. This series reports the change in the number of advertisements listed on key job boards: SEEK and Trade Me Jobs. Jobs Online serves as an early indicator of changing labour market and economic conditions. This paper provides an overview of how job vacancy data was collected in New Zealand and overseas. It outlines how the Department of Labour changed its collection of job vacancy data from the Job Vacancy Monitoring Programme (JVMP) – a manual count of newspaper advertisements – to Jobs Online – an electronic analysis of on­line advertisements on major job boards. The results from Jobs Online are discussed and compared with other labour market indicators. Overall, the results from Jobs Online show an increase in job vacancies over time in total vacancies and in skilled vacancies. This is in line with employment growth in New Zealand after the recession that started in June 2009. Since October 2010 the growth in job vacancies is easing, but remains positive. The data on skilled vacancies is broken down by region, occupation and industry. The data from Jobs Online tracks well with other labour market indicators such as the unemployment rate. According to economic theory, the Beveridge curve shows the relationship between the vacancy rate and the unemployment rate over time. The Department’s empirical analysis of the Beveridge curve confirmed that a high vacancy rate calculated from Jobs Online was associated with a low unemployment rate. In addition, a low vacancy rate calculated from Jobs Online was associated with a high unemployment rate

Role of food availability in the bathymetric distribution of the starfish Marthasterias glacialis (Lamk.)on reefs of northern Portugal [Efecto de la disponibilidad alimenticia sobre la distribución batimétrica de la estrella de mar Marthasterias glacialis (Lamk.) en arrecifes del norte de Portugal]

We examined whether the abundance and size of the starfish Marthasterias glacialis (Lamk.) exhibit a depth-dependent partitioning on subtidal reefs. We tested the hypothesis that differences in food availability can result in habitat partitioning along a depth gradient. The abundance and size of M. glacialis was registered at 4 depth strata: 0-4 m, 4-8 m, 8-12 m, and \u3e12 m; we also recorded the number of food items that they were preying on. The abundance and size of M. glacialis decreased with depth. Mussels (Mytilus galloprivincialis) were the most preyed food item across all depth strata, followed by gastropods, sea urchins and barnacles; M. glacialis also consumed a significantly larger amount of mussels in feeding experiments compared with sea urchins and gastropods. The abundance of M. galloprivincialis beds decreased with depth. The clear link between the decrease in abundance and size of M. glacialis with depth and the decay of the most consumed prey (mussels) suggest that food availability may play an important role in the vertical distribution of this starfish, though wave-associated turbulence in the first few metres of the subtidal could also limit the abundance of M. glacialis

Efecto de la disponibilidad alimenticia sobre la distribución batimétrica de la estrella de mar Marthasterias glacialis (Lamk.) en arrecifes del norte de Portugal

We examined whether the abundance and size of the starfish Marthasterias glacialis (Lamk.) exhibit a depthdependent partitioning on subtidal reefs. We tested the hypothesis that differences in food availability can result in habitat partitioning along a depth gradient. The abundance and size of M. glacialis was registered at 4 depth strata: 0-4 m, 4-8 m, 8-12 m, and > 12 m; we also recorded the number of food items that they were preying on. The abundance and size of M. glacialis decreased with depth. Mussels (Mytilus galloprivincialis) were the most preyed food item across all depth strata, followed by gastropods, sea urchins and barnacles; M. glacialis also consumed a significantly larger amount of mussels in feeding experiments compared with sea urchins and gastropods. The abundance of M. galloprivincialis beds decreased with depth. The clear link between the decrease in abundance and size of M. glacialis with depth and the decay of the most consumed prey (mussels) suggest that food availability may play an important role in the vertical distribution of this starfish, though wave-associated turbulence in the first few metres of the subtidal could also limit the abundance of M. glacialis.Examinamos si la abundancia y talla de la estrella de mar Marthasterias glacialis (Lamk.) exhibe una segregación batimétrica en arrecifes submareales. Contrastamos el modelo que predice que diferencias en la disponibilidad alimenticia puede resultar en una segregación del hábitat a lo largo de un gradiente batimétrico. La abundancia y talla de M. glacialis se registró sobre 4 estratos de profundidad: 0-4 m, 4-8 m, 8-12 m, y > 12 m; además registramos el número de presas sobre las que estaban depredando. La abundancia y talla de M. glacialis decreció con la profundidad. Los mejillones (Mytilus galloprivincialis) fueron la presa más consumida, seguido de gasterópodos, erizos de mar y cirrípedos; M. glacialis también consumió una cantidad significativamente superior de mejillones en experiencias alimentarias en relación a erizos de mar y gasterópodos. La clara asociación entre la caída en profundidad de la abundancia y talla de M. glacialis y la caída de su presa más consumida (mejillones) sugiere que la disponibilidad alimentaria juega probablemente un papel importante en la distribución vertical de esta estrella de mar. No obstante, individuos marcados mostraron un movimiento a corto plazo mayor sobre un estrato somero que sobre un estrato profundo, y por tanto, la turbulencia asociada al oleaje en los primeros metros del medio submareal también pudiera afectar el patrón ecológico de M. glacialis con la profundidad