Natural Language Generation and Fuzzy Sets : An Exploratory Study on Geographical Referring Expression Generation

This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry for Economy and Competitiveness (grant TIN2014-56633-C3-1-R) and by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF/FEDER) and the Galician Ministry of Education (grants GRC2014/030 and CN2012/151). Alejandro Ramos-Soto is supported by the Spanish Ministry for Economy and Competitiveness (FPI Fellowship Program) under grant BES-2012-051878.

Spatial structures of manufacturing clusters in Cambodia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, and Thailand

Examining the spatial structure of clusters is essential for deriving regional development policy implications. In this study, we identify the manufacturing clusters in Cambodia, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, and Thailand, using two indices—global extent (GE) and local density (LD)—as proposed by Mori and Smith (2013). We also analyze four different combinations of these indices to highlight the spatial structures of industrial agglomerations. Since industrial clusters often spread over administrative boundaries, the GE and LD indices—along with cluster mapping—display how the detected clusters fit into specific spatial structures.

Sea ice and wind variability during the Holocene in East Antarctica

A high-resolution continuous record of diatom census counts and diatom specific biomarkers in sediment core NBP0101-JPC24 allows assessment of oceanographic and environmental conditions in eastern Prydz Bay during the deglaciation (11 100-9000 cal yr BP) at decadal timescale. Our study improves previous snapshots investigations based on resin-embedded thin sections and presents a new proxy that compliments the diatom census counts. Our results suggest that the ice sheet retreat over the core site is dated at ~11 100 cal yr BP, setting the onset of local deglaciation and subsequent open marine conditions. The glacial retreat in Prydz Bay is due to global warming initiated at 18 cal ka BP and the regional development of the Prydz Bay cyclonic gyre. Our results further demonstrate that the deglaciation in eastern Prydz Bay can be separated in four phases: the first between 11 100 and 10 900 cal yr BP when the ice shelf was proximal and sea ice was almost perennial; the second and the third phases between 10 900-10 400 cal yr BP and 10 400-9900 cal yr BP, respectively, when the ice shelf retreated and seasonal sea ice cycle consequently developed promoting warmer water to pump into the bay within the gyre, which in turn forced the ice shelf recession and the yearly sea ice cycle establishment; and the fourth between 9900 and 9000 cal yr BP when Holocene condition were set with a recurrent seasonal sea ice cycle and a well established Prydz Bay gyre.

Cooperação e competição entre políticas no Brasil: os custos da governabilidade no presidencialismo de coalizão

Public policies have been studied in the various fields of humanities and social sciences, from different theoretical and technical aspects. However, there is still a lack of studies that incorporate the dimension that encompasses the political action and its interference in such actions, also recognizing the importance of the institutional setting of the Brazilian presidential model in implementing these policies. This fragmented and multiparty system has led to power heterogeneous sets of political parties. Thus, the ministerial offices, more than assisting the President´s government project, manage particularized agendas, which are party biased and have the influence of interest groups in hegemonic themes addressed by government agencies. When these agendas operate in sectoral and specialized policies, the friction level is apparently low. However, when this occurs in intersectoral actions, such as in regional development, there is evidence of strong signs of competition among government agencies, which in theory, should operate in an integrated manner. Although this is not a specific feature of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva´s government- the period to be studied- there was similar behavior in Fernando Henrique Cardoso´s presidency, one realizes that the expansion of coalition on behalf of governance is increasingly interfering in the outcome of intersectoral public policies, due to these multiple arguments in action. In order to understand these processes, this study focused on the Sustainable and Integrated Development Programme for Differentiated Meso-Regions (PROMESO), part of the National Policy for Regional Development (NPRD). The program provides interface with various government agencies and their public policies in a clear intersectoral design. The research sought to identify and analyze the relationships between government agencies and their programs with interest groups, whether political parties or other segments of civil society, highlighting the logic of favoritism, which poses in second place the integration of actions in the intersectoral policies. Therefore, besides the theoretical debate that incorporates several categories of political science, public administration, public policy, geography and economics, the study focused on secondary sources, using different government agencies databases in order to raise information. It was observed that the interference of partisan politics has been disastrous for some public policies. Thus, the research confirms that cooperative character is fragile within government agencies, often limited to official documents, and that there is indeed, a striking feature of competition, especially when it comes to transversalized policies

Nature-based solutions to climate change mitigation and adaptation in urban areas: perspectives on indicators, knowledge gaps, barriers, and opportunities for action

Nature-based solutions promoting green and blue urban areas have significant potential to decrease the vulnerability and enhance the resilience of cities in light of climatic change. They can thereby help to mitigate climate change-induced impacts and serve as proactive adaptation options for municipalities. We explore the various contexts in which nature-based solutions are relevant for climate mitigation and adaptation in urban areas, identify indicators for assessing the effectiveness of nature-based solutions and related knowledge gaps. In addition, we explore existing barriers and potential opportunities for increasing the scale and effectiveness of nature-based solution implementation. The results were derived from an inter- and transdisciplinary workshop with experts from research, municipalities, policy, and society. As an outcome of the workshop discussions and building on existing evidence, we highlight three main needs for future science and policy agendas when dealing with nature-based solutions: (i) produce stronger evidence on nature-based solutions for climate change adaptation and mitigation and raise awareness by increasing implementation; (ii) adapt for governance challenges in implementing nature-based solutions by using reflexive approaches, which implies bringing together new networks of society, nature-based solution ambassadors, and practitioners; (iii) consider socio-environmental justice and social cohesion when implementing nature-based solutions by using integrated governance approaches that take into account an integrative and transdisciplinary participation of diverse actors. Taking these needs into account, nature-based solutions can serve as climate mitigation and adaptation tools that produce additional cobenefits for societal well-being, thereby serving as strong investment options for sustainable urban planning.

A network approach to overcoming barriers to market engagement for SMEs in energy efficiency initiatives such as the Green Deal

The Green Deal (GD) was launched in 2013 by the UK Government as a market-led scheme to encourage uptake of energy efficiency measures in the UK and create green sector jobs. The scheme closed in July 2015 after 30 months due to government concerns over low uptake and industry standards but additional factors potentially contributed to its failure such as poor scheme design and lack of understanding of the customer and supply chain journey. We explore the role of key delivery agents of GD services, specifically SMEs, and we use the LoCal-Net project as a case study to examine the use of networks to identify and reduce barriers to SME market engagement. We find that SMEs experienced multiple barriers to interaction with the GD such as lack of access to information, training, and confusion over delivery of the scheme but benefited from interaction with the network to access information, improve understanding of the scheme, increasing networking opportunities and forming new business models and partnerships to reduce risk. The importance of SMEs as delivery agents and their role in the design of market-led schemes such as the GD are discussed with recommendations for improving SME engagement in green sector initiatives.

Análisis y evaluación financiera del sistema policultivo de bocachico y tilapia roja en los departamentos del Atlántico y Magdalena

En este texto investigativo se realiza una avaluación financiera del proyecto Sistema Policultivo Bocachico – Tilapia Roja. Para llevar a cabo la investigación radica que en el momento en que se realizó el primer prototipo del Policultivo, no se tuvieron en cuenta aspectos de carácter financiero; además durante el proceso de estudio hemos aprendido elementos que ayudarían a mejorar el análisis financiero y económico del proyecto Policultivo. Con el estudio, los piscicultores e inversionistas dispondrán de unas herramientas calificadas y cualificadas que les permitan no sólo saber y estudiar el costo del montaje técnico de un policultivo, nociones de la piscicultura y cultivo de especies, sino, especialmente, conocer a través del uso de la metodología investigativa de la evaluación de proyectos, las fuentes más convenientes para el financiamiento, el potencial del negocio, un sostenido estudio de mercado y la generación de valor que representa el esfuerzo económico. Y por último distinguir el aporte eficaz que genera el proyecto en materia de desarrollo local o regional al contribuir con la generación de empleo, bienestar y al satisfacer ciertas necesidades sociales. Se pudo determinar que la producción y comercialización de Bocachico y Tilapia Roja mediante el Sistema Policultivos es factible, ya que mejora considerablemente los rendimientos de producción por unidad de área, y se aprovechan de la mejor manera los recursos disponibles. En el análisis se detectó que existe un gran potencial de demanda y de mercado, eficiente uso de los recursos financieros, técnicos, administrativos, legal, humanos, físicos y de infraestructura acorde con las necesidades del proyecto; y con una evaluación financiera que demuestra que el proyecto Sistema Policultivos es viable, rentable y se justifica realizar la inversión para desarrollarlo.

Una cuestión económica: el impuesto sobre el capital o la renta considerado desde el punto de vista en que se estudian los fenómenos físicos en las ciencias de este nombre

14 p.

Construcción de un Índice Básico de Competitividad para el Oriente Antioqueño 2015

El presente trabajo realiza una medición básica de los niveles de competitividad del Oriente antioqueño, relacionados con los pilares de tamaño de los mercados, sofisticación y diversificación, e innovación y dinámica empresarial, enmarcados en el Índice Departamental de Competitividad generado y publicado por el Consejo Privado de Competitividad y la metodología del Índice Global de Competitividad del Foro Económico Mundial -- El impacto que tienen el crecimiento empresarial y el desarrollo del comercio exterior durante los últimos años en la estructura económica de esta subregión de Antioquia, generan una gran necesidad de monitorear el comportamiento de variables e indicadores que permitan identificar las tendencias y niveles de evolución competitiva del territorio, estas mediciones soportan el desarrollo del esquema metodológico aplicado en los pilares seleccionados, los cuales involucran variables como el PIB, exportaciones, tasas de natalidad empresarial, densidad empresarial, entre otros -- Para su desarrollo se consultan fuentes de información pública como el DANE, PROCOLOMBIA, Ministerio de Comercio, Industria y Turismo, Alcaldías Municipales del Oriente antioqueño y Gobernación de Antioquia, las cuales se complementan con la información del Sistema de Información Integrado de Confecámaras, del cual se puede extraer la información relacionada con la actividad empresarial de la subregión del Oriente antioqueño -- Los resultados muestran una subregión con una gran dinámica exportadora, pero concentrada solo en 10 municipios de los 23 que la componen, con un índice de diversificación por mercados, destinos de exportaciones de 2.878 y un índice de diversificación de la canasta exportadora de 1.147; este desarrollo de la actividad exportadora se soporta en un crecimiento de su tejido empresarial, el cual muestra una tasa de natalidad de empresas de 49,96 nuevas empresas por cada 10.000 habitantes, una densidad empresarial de 22 empresas por cada 1.000 habitantes y una participación de las medianas y grandes empresas del 1,42% sobre el total del tejido empresarial -- Todas estas cifras pueden ser orientadas a la estructuración de políticas públicas y estrategias privadas que lleven al mejoramiento de los indicadores -- Así mismo, se busca que la información sea fuente de consulta para los empresarios e inversionistas que ven esta subregión como destino de inversión y asentamiento de sus empresas

CottonInfo Extending Research

There are many ways in which research messages and findings can be extended to the expansive cotton community. As everyone learns differently it is crucial that information is delivered in a variety of ways to meet the various learning needs of the CottonInfo team’s broad audience. In addition different cotton production areas often require targeted information to address specific challenges. Successful implementation of innovative research outcomes typically relies on a history of cultivated communication between the researcher and the end-user, the grower. The CottonInfo team, supported by a joint venture between Cotton Seed Distributors, Cotton Research Development Corporation, Cotton Australia and other collaborative partners, represents a unique model of extension in Australian agriculture. Industry research is extended via regionally based Regional Development Officers backed by support from Technical Specialists. The 2015 Cotton Irrigation Technology Tour is one example of a successful CottonInfo capacity building activity. This tour took seven CRDC funded irrigation-specific researchers to Emerald, Moree and Nevertire to showcase their research and technologies. These events provided irrigators and consultants with the opportunity to hear first-hand from researchers about their technologies and how they could be applied onfarm. This tour was an example of how the CottonInfo team can connect growers and researchers, not only to provide an avenue for growers to learn about the latest irrigation research, but for researchers to receive feedback about their current and future irrigation research.

Análise do crescimento econômico no Rio Grande do Sul através da aplicação de cadeias de Markov

O estudo do crescimento econômico é de suma importância para que possamos averiguar a trajetória de uma economia ao longo do tempo, a proposta desse trabalho é analisar o crescimento econômico no estado do Rio Grande do Sul, através do instrumental das cadeias de Markov, a ideia principal do estudo está na hipótese de convergência de renda. Primeiramente será testado a hipótese de convergência de renda do estado por meio das microrregiões, para isso serão utilizados dados de produto per capita dos anos de 1990, 2000 e 2010. Também será testado a hipótese de convergência para os municípios do Conselho Regional de Desenvolvimento Sul, situado no Rio Grande do Sul, utilizando dados de renda per capita dos anos de 1991, 2000 e 2010. Os resultados obtidos para as microrregiões do Rio Grande do Sul mostram que as economias não estão convergindo em sua totalidade para uma classe de renda especifica, porém é percebido que no longo prazo haverá uma maior concentração das microrregiões nos extratos de renda próximos a média, o tempo esperado para que as economias cheguem ao seu estado estacionário é de seis períodos. Por meio dos resultados obtidos para a região do Corede Sul, temos que as economias convergirão em sua maioria para a classe de renda médio pobre, seguido pela classe dos médios ricos. Ambas as classes estão situadas próximas a média regional, sendo que as classes de renda pobre e rico situadas aos extremos serão extintas no longo prazo. O tempo esperado para que as economias cheguem ao estado estacionário é de onze períodos.

Rotatividade do mercado de trabalho no corede sul: uma análise ex-ante e ex-post a implementação do polo naval no munícipio de Rio Grande

A presente monografia tem como objetivo analisar a dinâmica do mercado de trabalho do Corede Sul, e avaliar a rotatividade dos trabalhadores a partir do impacto que o polo naval de Rio Grande trouxe para a região sul do estado do Rio Grande do Sul. As metodologias utilizadas foram dados em painel e modelos de diferenças em diferenças, nos períodos de 2003 a 2010 e 2003 a 2013 respectivamente, com o intuito de estimar os determinantes da rotatividade e analisar os impactos posteriores à implementação do polo na região. Foram estimados dois modelos, primeiramente um painel, mas o mesmo demonstrou problemas de endogenia entre as variáveis, e posteriormente um modelo de diferenças em diferenças, que foi estimado para melhor captar os efeitos para as cidades consideradas como tratadas no modelo, obtendo alguns coeficientes significativos. Foram gerados resultados estatisticamente representativos para as cidades de Rio Grande, Pelotas e São José do Norte, tendo a cidade de Rio Grande o maior resultado encontrado um aumento de 132% na rotatividade após 2006. Além disso, foi descoberto um processo de antecipação no mercado de trabalho no município de Rio Grande, em que a população já almejava uma melhor oportunidade de emprego, à medida que a construção do polo se consolidava.

Análise do crescimento econômico no Rio Grande do Sul através da aplicação de cadeias de markov

O estudo do crescimento econômico é de suma importância para que possamos averiguar a trajetória de uma economia ao longo do tempo, a proposta desse trabalho é analisar o crescimento econômico no estado do Rio Grande do Sul, através do instrumental das cadeias de Markov, a ideia principal do estudo está na hipótese de convergência de renda. Primeiramente será testado a hipótese de convergência de renda do estado por meio das microrregiões, para isso serão utilizados dados de produto per capita dos anos de 1990, 2000 e 2010. Também será testado a hipótese de convergência para os municípios do Conselho Regional de Desenvolvimento Sul, situado no Rio Grande do Sul, utilizando dados de renda per capita dos anos de 1991, 2000 e 2010. Os resultados obtidos para as microrregiões do Rio Grande do Sul mostram que as economias não estão convergindo em sua totalidade para uma classe de renda especifica, porém é percebido que no longo prazo haverá uma maior concentração das microrregiões nos extratos de renda próximos a média, o tempo esperado para que as economias cheguem ao seu estado estacionário é de seis períodos. Por meio dos resultados obtidos para a região do Corede Sul, temos que as economias convergirão em sua maioria para a classe de renda médio pobre, seguido pela classe dos médio ricos. Ambas as classes estão situadas próximas a média regional, sendo que as classes de renda pobre e rico situadas aos extremos serão extintas no longo prazo. O tempo esperado para que as economias cheguem ao estado estacionário é de onze períodos.

Defining a management strategy for the azorean natural thermal resources : valuing criteria identification

Dissertação de Mestrado, Gestão de Empresas (MBA), 23 de Maio de 2016, Universidade dos Açores.

Indoor air quality in schools and its relationship with children's respiratory symptoms

A cross-sectional survey was conducted to characterize the indoor air quality (IAQ) in schools and its relationship with children's respiratory symptoms. Concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOC), aldehydes, PM2.5, PM10, carbon dioxide, bacteria and fungi were assessed in 73 classrooms from 20 public primary schools located in Porto, Portugal. Children who attended the selected classrooms (n = 1134) were evaluated by a standardised health questionnaire completed by the legal guardians; spirometry and exhaled nitric oxide tests. The results indicated that no classrooms presented individual VOC pollutant concentrations higher than the WHO IAQ guidelines or by INDEX recommendations; while PM2.5, PM10 and bacteria levels exceeded the WHO air quality guidelines or national limit values. High levels of total VOC, acetaldehyde, PM2.5 and PM10 were associated with higher odds of wheezing in children. Thus, indoor air pollutants, some even at low exposure levels, were related with the development of respiratory symptoms. The results pointed out that it is crucial to take into account the unique characteristics of the public primary schools, to develop appropriate control strategies in order to reduce the exposure to indoor air pollutants and, therefore, to minimize the adverse health effects.