Residual effect of natural and synthetic zinc chelates on zinc in a soil solution of a waterlogged acidic soil. Evolution of the pH and redox potential.

Zinc chelates have been widely used to correct deficiencies in this micronutrient in different soil types and under different moisture conditions. The aging of the metal in soil could cause a change in its availability. Over time the most labile forms of Zn could decrease in activity and extractability and change to more stable forms. Various soil parameters, such as redox conditions, time, soil type and moisture conditions, affect the aging process and modify the solubility of the metal. In general, redox conditions influence pH and also the chemical forms dissolved in the soil solution. Soil pH also affects Zn solubility; at high pH values, most of the Zn is present in forms that are not bioavailable to plants. The objective of this study was to determine the changes in Zn over time in a soil solution in a waterlogged acidic soil to which synthetic and natural chelates were applie

Understanding User Behavioral Intention to Adopt a Search Engine that Promotes Sustainable Water Management

An increase in users’ online searches, the social concern for an efficient management of resources such as water, and the appearance of more and more digital platforms for sustainable purposes to conduct online searches lead us to reflect more on the users’ behavioral intention with respect to search engines that support sustainable projects like water management projects. Another issue to consider is the factors that determine the adoption of such search engines. In the present study, we aim to identify the factors that determine the intention to adopt a search engine, such as Lilo, that favors sustainable water management. To this end, a model based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) is proposed. The methodology used is the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis with the Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS). The results demonstrate that individuals who intend to use a search engine are influenced by hedonic motivations, which drive their feeling of contentment with the search. Similarly, the success of search engines is found to be closely related to the ability a search engine grants to its users to generate a social or environmental impact, rather than users’ trust in what they do or in their results. However, according to our results, habit is also an important factor that has both a direct and an indirect impact on users’ behavioral intention to adopt different search engines

Una interpretación de la medida del excedente económico en un contexto de economía abierta

This paper analyses the welfare significance of the producer and consumer surplus in a vertically structured and open sector. A theoretical analysis is developed to show that the overall welfare impact over a "big" country of introducing a distortion in some intermediate market is not accurately reflected by the sum of surplus are as in the directly affected market. Thus, the "big" country case is quite different from the "small" country and closed economy cases, for which a direct measurement is usually possible. Finally, the article discusses the validity of the partial equilibrium approach for a welfare analysis of spanish trade distortions in the new situation of Spain within the European Community.El presente artículo analiza el significado de las medidas de los excedentes del consumidor y del productor en el contexto de un sector estructurado verticalmente y abierto al exterior. Se demuestra que el impacto global sobre el bienestar de un país "grande" provocado por una distorsión en un mercado intermedio no es reflejado adecuadamente por las áreas relevantes del excedente medidas en el mercado doméstico directamente afectado. Ello contrasta con los casos de país "pequeño" y economía cerrada en los que la medición directa sí es usualmente posible. Finalmente, se discute la validez de la hipótesis de equilibrio parcial para un análisis de bienestar de las restricciones al comercio intemacional aplicado a España en su nueva situación de país miembro de la Comunidad Europea

Error correcting codes from quasi-Hadamard matrices

Levenshtein described in [5] a method for constructing error correcting codes which meet the Plotkin bounds, provided suitable Ha- damard matrices exist. Uncertainty about the existence of Hadamard matrices on all orders multiple of 4 is a source of difficulties for the prac- tical application of this method. Here we extend the method to the case of quasi-Hadamard matrices. Since efficient algorithms for constructing quasi-Hadamard matrices are potentially available from the literature (e.g. [7]), good error correcting codes may be constructed in practise. We illustrate the method with some examples.Junta de Andalucía FQM–29

Aprendizaje y servicio en análisis económico de las organizaciones: el caso de una cooperativa de consumo responsable

[Resumen] Los Proyectos de Aprendizaje y Servicio (ApS) se caracterizan por ser propuestas educativas que combinan procesos de aprendizaje y de servicio comunitario en un proyecto bien articulado, donde los participantes aprenden a trabajar en necesidades reales del entorno, con el fin de mejorarlo. En este contexto, y con la finalidad de incrementar la empatía y compromiso de los estudiantes universitarios con la economía social y colaborativa y el consumo consciente y responsable, se ha desarrollado un Proyecto ApS en la asignatura troncal Análisis Económico de las Organizaciones del grado en Economía, grado en Administración y Dirección de Empresas (ADE) y doble grado de ADE y Derecho de la Universidade da Coruña. En este sentido, el Proyecto ApS se desarrolló con la cooperativa de consumo responsable Zocamiñoca, de tal forma que los estudiantes elaboraron informes que respondían a sus problemas organizativos, lo que les permitió la adquisición de competencias relacionadas con el desempeño de labores de gestión, asesoramiento y evaluación de empresas, la aplicación de conocimientos a su trabajo de forma profesional y el respeto de los derechos fundamentales, la promoción de los Derechos Humanos y principios de igualdad (acción de aprendizaje).[Abstract] The Service-Learning Projects are characterised by being educational proposals that combine learning processes and community service. Students learn how to work in the real needs of the environment with the aim of improving it. In this context, and with the objective of increasing students´ empathy and commitment to social problems, a Service-Learning Project was developed in the subject Organisations Economic Analysis. It is a core subject in the grade of Business and Economics, as well as, in the double degree in Business-Law of the University of A Coruna. This project was developed with the responsible consumption cooperative Zocamiñoca. Students wrote reports that solved organizational problems that allowed them to acquire competences related to organization management and consulting, the application of knowledge to their professional life and the respect for fundamental rights, the promotion of human rights and principles of equality (learning action)

Métodos de análisis de elementos en suelos: disponibilidad y fraccionamiento

En este trabajo se presenta una revisión de los métodos de análisis de elementos metálicos, principalmente de Cu y de Zn en suelos agrícolas, destacando los más utilizados. Algunos de los métodos descritos tienen un campo de aplicación mayor, empleándose también en análisis de sedimentos, lodos, residuos sólidos, suelos tratados con residuos, suelos contaminados, etc. Asimismo, se presentan algunas posibles líneas de desarrollo futuro de estos métodos

Peer Victimization in Overweight Adolescents and Its Effect on Their Self-Esteem and Peer Difficulties

This study has three objectives: to examine whether adolescents who perceive themselves as overweight differ from others in terms of offline victimization at school, cybervictimization, self-esteem, and difficulties relating to peers; to examine the possible effects of offline and cybervictimization on self-esteem and difficulties relating to peers; and to examine the possible moderating role of perceiving oneself as overweight on those effects. Previously validated questionnaires were applied to a sample of 3145 adolescents in Asturias (Spain). Descriptive, inferential, correlational, and structural equation analyses were performed. Adolescents who perceived themselves as overweight reported being victims of both offline victimization and most forms of cybervictimization to a greater extent than those who did not perceive themselves as overweight. They also reported lower self-esteem and more peer difficulties (shyness or social anxiety). In both groups of adolescents, victimization and cybervictimization were correlated with each other, both types of victimization had direct, negative effects on self-esteem, and self-esteem in turn had a direct, negative effect on peer difficulties. Furthermore, offline victimization had a direct, positive effect on peer difficulties. Perceiving oneself as overweight moderated the effect of self-esteem on peer difficulties. In adolescents perceiving themselves as overweight, low self-esteem was a stronger risk factor of peer difficulties than in the rest of the adolescents. With high overall self-esteem there were no significant differences in peer difficulties between the adolescents perceiving themselves as overweight and the rest of the adolescents

Innovación en productos y procesos: un análisis empírico de sus repercusiones sobre la evolución y composición del fondo de maniobra empresarial

La literatura más reciente sobre innovación y mejora continua destaca las ventajas competitivas asociadas a su implementación, entre las que se incluye un efecto financiero positivo. Sin embargo, el número de contribuciones teóricas que se centran en el aspecto financiero es muy escaso, situación que empeora notablemente cuando se considera el conjunto de trabajos empíricos. Este artículo intenta contrastar la existencia de una de las repercusiones financieras sugeridas por la literatura, a saber, la innovación en productos y procesos puede conducir a una reducción de la necesidad de fondo de maniobra, afectando a la estructura financiera de la empresa y a su coste de capital. Para ello se creó una muestra compuesta por 145 empresas españolas que han cotizado en Bolsa durante el período 1990-1994 y se ha efectuado un análisis ANOV A, así como un estudio de las series temporales de la mediana de diferentes variables vinculadas al fondo de maniobra. Los resultados obtenidos sugieren que algunos sectores de actividad cumplen mejor la hipótesis de trabajo que otros, y lo mismo puede argumentarse para el nivel de las empresas. En aquellos casos que cumplen claramente la hipótesis de partida, ha podido comprobarse que, en términos proporcionales, los efectos financieros asociados a las actividades vinculadas a la innovación superan ampliamente a cualesquiera otros relacionados con la gestión del circulante empresariaL Entre las investigaciones futuras a desarrollar parece necesario aislar los efectos que sobre el fondo de maniobra han tenido las diferentes prácticas innovadoras adoptadas por las empresas más destacadas de la muestra, así como la identificación de la secuencia de mejoras organizati vas que conducen a los mejores resultados financieros. En este sentido, este trabajo puede ser considerado como primer paso o punto de partida para futuras y más detalladas contribuciones empíricas.Most recent literature on innovation and continuous improvement pays attention to the competitive advantages related to their implementation, including a possitive financia! implication. However, the number or theoretical papers focussing on the related financia! effects is scarce, and when considering empírica! contributions, that number decreases radical! y. This paper attemps to test one of those financia! effects suggested by the theoreticalliterature:the adoption ofinnovation practices leads to lower working capitalneedings, thus affecting the firm'sfinancial structure and costs. A sample of 145 Spanish listed firms has been developed for a time horizon of five years (1990-1994) and sorne empírica! studies, including an ANO VA analysis, as well as time series studies of the behaviour ofthe median of severa! financia! ratios, ha ve been carried out. The results of the study show out that all activities sectors in the sample are involved in the innovation crussade, although sorne sectors and companies are closer to the tested hypothesis than others. For those cases that fully support the hypothesis, organizational efforts made in the do maine of innovation processes (linked in the study to the procurement, manufacturing and sales activitities) yielded proportionally higher results than any other related to working capital management activities. Further research is needed to isolate the working capital effect related to the particular innovations pursued by each company in the outstanding group, as well as identifying the sequence of operational improvements leading to the best financia! results. In that sense, we consider this study as a first step ora starting point for future and more detailed contributions.Investigación parcialmente financiada por los proyectos PB93-0233-DGCYT y PB94-0372 de la DGCY