Price Premium for High-Efficiency Refrigerators and Calculation of Price-Elasticities for Close-Substitutes: Combining Hedonic Pricing and Demand Systems

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Temporal and spatial variations in the quality of water in El Gergal Reservior, Seville, Spain

It is often difficult to define ‘water quality’ with any degree of precision. One approach is that suggested by Battarbee (1997) and is based on the extent to which individual lakes have changed compared with their natural ‘baseline’ status. Defining the base-line status of artificial lakes and reservoirs however, is, very difficult. In ecological terms, the definition of quality must include some consideration of their functional characteristics and the extent to which these characteristics are self-sustaining. The challenge of managing lakes in a sustainable way is particularly acute in semi-arid, Mediterranean countries. Here the quality of the water is strongly influenced by the unpredictability of the rainfall as well as year-to-year variations in the seasonal averages. Wise management requires profound knowledge of how these systems function. Thus a holistic approach must be adopted and the factors influencing the seasonal dynamics of the lakes quantified over a range of spatial and temporal scales. In this article, the authors describe some of the ways in which both long-term and short-term changes in the weather have influenced the seasonal and spatial dynamics of phytoplankton in El Gergal, a water supply reservoir situated in the south of Spain. The quality of the water stored in this reservoir is typically very good but surface blooms of algae commonly appear during warm, calm periods when the water level is low. El Gergal reservoir is managed by the Empresa Municipal de Abastecimiento y Saneamiento (EMASESA) and supplies water for domestic, commercial and industrial use to an area which includes the city of Seville and twelve of its surrounding towns (ca. 1.3 million inhabitants). El Gergal is the last of two reservoirs in a chain of four situated in the Rivera de Huelva basin, a tributary of the Guadalquivir river. It was commissioned by EMASESA in 1979 and since then the company has monitored its main limnological parameters on, at least, a monthly basis and used this information to improve the management of the reservoir. As a consequence of these intensive studies the physical, chemical and biological information acquired during this period makes the El Gergal database one of the most complete in Spain. In this article the authors focus on three ‘weather-related’ effects that have had a significant impact on the composition and distribution of phytoplankton in El Gergal: (i) the changes associated with severe droughts; (ii) the spatial variations produced by short-term changes in the weather; (iii) the impact of water transfers on the seasonal dynamics of the dinoflagellate Ceratium.

The patents in the introduction of reinforced concrete in Spain: "Alhondiga de Bilbao" case study

Reinforced concrete structures are introduced in Spain mainly by French influence. This happens in the late nineteenth century, following the scheme operating through proprietary systems prevailing in Europe. Systems initially have poor scientific support reaching, even early twentieth century, an impediment to the development of concrete structures, due to the lack of knowledge shown, as well as due to a series of accidents. Therefore, from the end of the first decade of the past century are enacted a series of regulations in many countries, that will change the design and calculation of reinforced concrete structure. The knowledge of the environment of the patent systems, its beginnings and the circumstances of their application allow us to understand the constraints of the early concrete structures, as presented in the Bilbao wine store (1906).

On-line voltammetric monitoring of dissolved Cu and Ni in the Gulf of Cadiz, south-west Spain

Geochemical processes in estuarine and coastal waters often occur on temporally and spatially small scales, resulting in variability of metal speciation and dissolved concentrations. Thus, surveys, which are aimed to improve our understanding of metal behaviour in such systems, benefit from high-resolution, interactive sampling campaigns. The present paper discusses a high-resolution approach to coastal monitoring, with the application of an automated voltammetric metal analyser for on-line measurements of dissolved trace metals in the Gulf of Cadiz, south-west Spain. This coastal sea receives metal-rich inputs from a metalliferous mining area, mainly via the Huelva estuary. On-line measurements of dissolved Cu, Zn, Ni and Co were carried out on-board ship during an eight-day sampling campaign in the study area in June 1997. A pumping system operated continuously underway and provided sampled water from a depth of ca. 4 m. Total dissolved metal concentrations measured on-line in the Gulf of Cadiz ranged between <5 nM Cu (<3 nM Ni) ca. 50 km off-shore and 60–90 nM Cu (5–13 nM Ni) in the vicinity of the Huelva estuary. The survey revealed steep gradients and strong tidal variability in the dissolved metal plume extending from the Huelva estuary into the Gulf of Cadiz. Further on-line measurements were carried out with the automatic metal monitor from the bank of the Odiel estuary over a full tidal cycle, at dissolved metal concentrations in the μM range. The application confirmed the suitability of the automated metal monitor for coastal sampling, and demonstrated its adaptability to a wide range of environmental conditions in the dynamic waters of estuaries and coastal seas. The near-real time acquisition of dissolved metal concentrations at high resolution enabled an interactive sampling campaign and therefore the close investigation of tidal variability in the development of the Huelva estuary metal plume.

The meaning of environmental control systems (ECS) for people with spinal cord injury: An occupational therapist explores an intervention

Environmental Control Systems (ECS), enable people with high cervical Spinal Cord Injury (high SCI) to control and access everyday electronic devices. In Ireland, however, access for those who might benefit from ECS is limited. This study used a qualitative approach to explore the insider experience of an ECS starter-pack developed by the author, an occupational therapist. The primary research questions: what is it really like to live with ECS, and what does it mean to live with ECS, were explored using a phenomenological methodology conducted in three phases. In Phase 1 fifteen people with high SCI met twice in four focus groups to discuss experiences and expectations of ECS. Thematic analysis (Krueger & Casey, 2000), influenced by the psychological phenomenological approach (Creswell, 1998), yielded three categories of rich, practical, phenomenological findings: ECS Usage and utility; ECS Expectations and The meaning of living with ECS. Phase 1 findings informed Phase 2 which consisted of the development of a generic electronic assistive technology pack (GrEAT) that included commercially available constituents as well as short instructional videos and an information booklet. This second phase culminated in a one-person, three-week pilot trial. Phase 3 involved a six person, 8-week trial of the GrEAT, followed by individual in-depth interviews. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis IPA (Smith, Larkin & Flowers, 2009), aided by computer software ATLAS.ti and iMindmap, guided data analysis and identification of themes. Getting used to ECS, experienced as both a hassle and engaging, resulted in participants being able to Take back a little of what you have lost, which involved both feeling enabled and reclaiming a little doing. The findings of this study provide substantial insights into what it is like to live with ECS and the meanings attributed to that experience. Several practical, real world implications are discussed.

Multi-physics modelling for the fabrication, packaging and reliability of micro-systems components

The latest advances in multi-physics modelling both using high fidelity techniques and reduced order and behavioural models will be discussed. Particular focus will be given to the application and validation of these techniques for modelling the fabrication, packaging and subsequent reliability of micro-systems based components. The paper will discuss results from a number of research projects with particular emphasis on the techniques being developed in a major UK Goverment funded project - 3D-MINTEGRATION (www.3d-mintegration.com).

Organizational and financial transparency in the website of the foundations: an empirical study for Spain

Transparency in nonprofit sector and foundations, as an element to enhance the confidence of stakeholders in the organization, is a fact shown by several studies in recent decades. Transparency can be considered in various fields and through different channels. In our study we focused on the analysis of the organizational and economic transparency of foundations, shown through the voluntary information on their Website. We review the theoretical previous studies published to put to the foundations within the framework of the social economy. This theoretical framework has focused on accountability that make foundations in relation to its social function and its management, especially since the most recent focus of information transparency across the Website.In this theoretical framework was made an index to quantify the voluntary information which is shown on its website. This index has been developed ad hoc for this study and applied to a group of large corporate foundations.With the application of these data are obtained two kind of results, to a descriptive level and to a inferential level.We analyzed the statistical correlation between economic transparency and organizational transparency offered in the Website through quantified variables by a multiple linear regression. This empirical analysis allows us to draw conclusions about the level of transparency offered by these organizations in relation to their organizational and financial information, as well as explain the relation between them.

Analysis of the admissions tests for teacher training in Spain and Finland: knowledge or competences

One of the most decisive factors in the quality of education and academic performance of students is quality, preparation and dedication of the teachers. The exquisite system of selecting candidates for teacher training programs is one of the fundamentals of success of the Finnish Education System. The responsibility of choosing the best students to convert them into teachers is a challenge that involves a significant reform of university admission. Achieving this goal involves the choice of strategies and educational tools in accordance to the complexity of the demands presented by the teaching profession in the digital age. This study describes, analyzes and compares the admission tests in the University of Spain (PAU) and Finland (VAKAVA), for those who wish to become professional educators, in order to understand the possible influence of these tests to select the most suitable candidates to develop into future teaching professionals. The results showed that in Spain, the entrance test to universities is developed in a general way for all the students that aspire to any field of knowledge, while in Finland, the test is specific and particular for students aspiring to the field of education. The results of this study can guide and encourage the necessary changes that have to be done in the admission tests to Spanish university in general and to teacher education faculties in particular.

Co-design of Distributed Systems Using Skeleton and Autonomic Management Abstractions

We discuss how common problems arising with multi/many core distributed architectures can he effectively handled through co-design of parallel/distributed programming abstractions and of autonomic management of non-functional concerns. In particular, we demonstrate how restricted patterns (or skeletons) may be efficiently managed by rule-based autonomic managers. We discuss the basic principles underlying pattern+manager co-design, current implementations inspired by this approach and some result achieved with proof-or-concept, prototype.

Issue salience in regional party manifestos in Spain

This article analyses the dynamics of electoral competition in a multilevel setting. It is based on a content analysis of the party manifestos of the Spanish PP and PSOE in eight regional elections held between 2001 and 2003. It provides an innovative coding scheme for analysing regional party manifestos and on that basis seeks to account for inter-regional, intra-party and inter-party differences in regional campaigning. The authors have tried to explain the inter-regional variation of the issue profiles of state-wide parties in regional elections on the basis of a model with four independent variables: the asymmetric nature of the system, the electoral cycle, the regional party systems and the organisation of the state-wide parties. Three of their hypotheses are rejected, but the stronger variations in the regional issue profiles of the PSOE corroborate the assumption that parties with a more decentralised party organisation support regionally more diverse campaigning. The article concludes by offering an alternative explanation for this finding and by suggesting avenues for further research.