Studies on new processing aids and other compounding ingredients in special purpose rubbers

In the first part of the study we probed the effectiveness of rice bran oil as a multipurpose compounding ingredient for nitrile (NBR) and chloroprene (CR) rubbers. This oil has already been successfully employed in the compounding of NR and SBR in this laboratory.In this context we thought it worthwhile to try this oil in the polar rubbers viz, NBR and CR also. The principle of like dissolves like as applicable to solvents is equally applicable while selecting a plasticiser, elastomer combination. Because of the compatibility considerations polar plasticisers are preferred for polar rubbers like NBR and CR. Although plasticisation is a physical phenomenon and no chemical reaction is involved, the chemical structure of plasticisers determines how much physical attraction there is between the rubber and the plasticiser. In this context it is interesting to note that the various fatty acids present in rice bran oil have a long paraffinic chain, characteristic of waxes, with an acid group at the end of the molecule. The paraffinic end of the molecule contributes lubricating effects and limits compatibility whereas the acid end group contributes some polarity and is also chemically reactive. Because of absorption of acid group on the surface of pigments, these acids will have active pigment wetting characteristics also. These factors justifies the role of rice bran oil as a co-activator and lubricating agent for NBR and CR. In fact in our study we successfully replaced stearic acid as co-activator and aromatic oillDOP as processing aid for CR and NBR with rice bran oil.This part of the study has got special significance in the fact that rubber industry now heavily depends on petroleum industry for process oils. The conventional process oils like aromatic, naphthenic and paraffinic oils are increasingly becoming costlier, as its resources in nature are fast depleting. Moreover aromatic process oils are reported to be carcinogenic because of the presence of higher levels of polycyclic aromatic compounds in these oils.As a result of these factors, a great amount research is going on world over for newer processing aids which are cost effective, nontoxic and performanance wise at par with the conventional ones used in the rubber industry. Trials with vegetable oils in this direction is worth trying.Antioxidants are usually added to the rubber compound to minimise ageing effects from heat, light, oxygen etc. As rice bran oil contains significant amount of tocopherols and oryzanol which are natural antioxidants, we replaced a phenolic antioxidant like styrenated phenol (SP) from the compound recipe of both the rubbers with RBO and ascertained whether this oil could function in the role of antioxidant as well.Preparation and use of epoxidised rice bran oil as plasticiser has already been reported.The crude rice bran oil having an iodine value of 92 was epoxidised in this laboratory using peracetic acid in presence of sulphuric acid as catalyst. The epoxy content of the epoxidised oil was determined volumetrically by treating a known weight of the oil with excess HCI and back titrating the residual HCI with standard alkali solution. The epoxidised oil having an epoxy content of 3.4% was tried in the compounding of NBR and CR as processing aids. And results of these investigations are also included in this chapter. In the second part of the study we tried how RBO/ERBO could perform when used as a processing aid in place of aromatic oil in the compounding of black filled NRCR blends. Elastomers cannot have all the properties required for a particular applications, so it is common practice in rubber industry to blend two elastomers to have desired property for the resulting blend.In this RBO/ERBO was tried as a processing aid for plasticisation, dispersion of fillers, and vulcanisation of black filled NR-CR blends.Aromatic oil was used as a control. The results of our study indicate that these oils could function as a processing aid and when added together with carbon black function as a cure accelerator also.PVC is compatible with nitrile rubber in all proportions, provided NBR has an acrylonitrile content of 25 to 40%. Lower or higher ACN content in NBR makes it incompatible with PVC.PVC is usually blended with NBR at high temperatures. In order to reduce torque during mixing, additional amounts of plasticisers like DOP are added. The plasticiser should be compatible both with PVC and NBR so as to get a homogeneous blend. Epoxidised soyaben oil is reported to have been used in the compounding of PVC as it can perfonn both as an efficient plasticiser and heat stabilizer.At present DOP constitute the largest consumed plasticiser in the PVC compounding. The migration of this plasticiser from food packaging materials made of PVC poses great health hazards as this is harmful to human body. In such a scenario we also thought it worthwhile to see whether DOP could be replaced by rice bran oil in the compounding of NBR-PVC blends Different blends of NBR-PVC were prepared with RBO and were vulcanized using sulphur and conventional accelerators. The various physical and mechanical properties of the vulcanisates were evaluated and compared with those prepared with DOP as the control plasticiser. Epoxidised rice bran oil was also tried as plasticiser for the preparation of NBR-PVC blends. A comparison of the processability and cure characteristics of the different blends prepared with DOP and ERBO showed that ERBO based blends have better processability and lower cure time values. However the elastographic maximum torque values are higher for the DOP based blends. Almost all of the physical properties evaluated are found to be slightly better for the DOP based blends over the ERBO based ones. However a notable feature of the ERBO based blends is the better percentage retention of elongation at break values after ageing over the DOP based blends. The results of these studies using rice bran oil and its epoxidised variety indicated that they could be used as efficient plasticisers in place of DOP and justifies their role as novel, nontoxic, and cheap plasticisers for NBR-PVC blends.

A new corner reflector antenna with periodic strip subreflectors

This paper presents the design of a new type of corner reflector (CR) antenna and the experimental investigation of its radiation characteristics. The design involves the addition of planar parallel periodic strips to the two sides of a CR antenna. The position, angular orientation, and number of strips have a notable effect on the H-plane radiation characteristics of the antenna. Certain configurations of the new antenna are capable of producing very sharp axial beams with gain on the order of 5 dB over the square corner reflector antenna. A configuration that can provide symmetric twin beams with enhanced gain and reduced half-power beam width (HPBW) is also presented.

Environmentally compatible phyto-chemical larvicides for mosquito control

In the last decades considerable headway has been made in research and development of phyto-chemical pesticides. The most notable recent success is the commercial development of neem products for insect control. The present investigation on Environmentally Compatible Phyto-Chemical Larvicides for Mosquito Control was undertaken to identify plants of the locality with potential larvicidal activity on mosquito larvae. This has been achieved by screening 17 plant species against four mosquito species. The observation and data are compiled in six chapters .

Dissolved Folin Phenol Active Substances (Tannin and Lignin) in the Seawater along the West Coast of India

Information on the distribution of dissolved Folin phenol active substances (FPAS) such as tannin and lignin in the seawater along the west coast of India is provided. Notable amounts of FPAS (surface concentrations: 80 f.1gll to 147 f.1gll and bottom concentrations: 80 f.1gll to 116 f.1gll) were detected in the seawater along the coast. The distribution pattern brings about a general depth-wise decrease. A seaward decrease was observed in the southern stations whereas reverse was the case in northern stations. A significant negative correlation was observed between FPAS concentration and dissolved oxygen in sub-surface samples. The appreciable amounts of FPAS detected in the coastal waters indicate the presence of organic matter principally originating from terrestrial (upland and coastal marsh) ecosystems in the marine environment. In this context, they may be used as tracers to determine the fate of coastalborn dissolved organic matter in the ocean and to determine directly the relationship between allochthonous and autochthonous organic matter

Experimentelle und numerische Untersuchungen zur Dispersion von Dichteströmungen in einem stochastischen Modellaquifer

Es ist bekannt, dass die Dichte eines gelösten Stoffes die Richtung und die Stärke seiner Bewegung im Untergrund entscheidend bestimmen kann. Eine Vielzahl von Untersuchungen hat gezeigt, dass die Verteilung der Durchlässigkeiten eines porösen Mediums diese Dichteffekte verstärken oder abmindern kann. Wie sich dieser gekoppelte Effekt auf die Vermischung zweier Fluide auswirkt, wurde in dieser Arbeit untersucht und dabei das experimentelle sowohl mit dem numerischen als auch mit dem analytischen Modell gekoppelt. Die auf der Störungstheorie basierende stochastische Theorie der macrodispersion wurde in dieser Arbeit für den Fall der transversalen Makodispersion. Für den Fall einer stabilen Schichtung wurde in einem Modelltank (10m x 1.2m x 0.1m) der Universität Kassel eine Serie sorgfältig kontrollierter zweidimensionaler Experimente an einem stochastisch heterogenen Modellaquifer durchgeführt. Es wurden Versuchsreihen mit variierenden Konzentrationsdifferenzen (250 ppm bis 100 000 ppm) und Strömungsgeschwindigkeiten (u = 1 m/ d bis 8 m/d) an drei verschieden anisotrop gepackten porösen Medien mit variierender Varianzen und Korrelationen der lognormal verteilten Permeabilitäten durchgeführt. Die stationäre räumliche Konzentrationsausbreitung der sich ausbreitenden Salzwasserfahne wurde anhand der Leitfähigkeit gemessen und aus der Höhendifferenz des 84- und 16-prozentigen relativen Konzentrationsdurchgang die Dispersion berechnet. Parallel dazu wurde ein numerisches Modell mit dem dichteabhängigen Finite-Elemente-Strömungs- und Transport-Programm SUTRA aufgestellt. Mit dem kalibrierten numerischen Modell wurden Prognosen für mögliche Transportszenarien, Sensitivitätsanalysen und stochastische Simulationen nach der Monte-Carlo-Methode durchgeführt. Die Einstellung der Strömungsgeschwindigkeit erfolgte - sowohl im experimentellen als auch im numerischen Modell - über konstante Druckränder an den Ein- und Auslauftanks. Dabei zeigte sich eine starke Sensitivität der räumlichen Konzentrationsausbreitung hinsichtlich lokaler Druckvariationen. Die Untersuchungen ergaben, dass sich die Konzentrationsfahne mit steigendem Abstand von der Einströmkante wellenförmig einem effektiven Wert annähert, aus dem die Makrodispersivität ermittelt werden kann. Dabei zeigten sich sichtbare nichtergodische Effekte, d.h. starke Abweichungen in den zweiten räumlichen Momenten der Konzentrationsverteilung der deterministischen Experimente von den Erwartungswerten aus der stochastischen Theorie. Die transversale Makrodispersivität stieg proportional zur Varianz und Korrelation der lognormalen Permeabilitätsverteilung und umgekehrt proportional zur Strömungsgeschwindigkeit und Dichtedifferenz zweier Fluide. Aus dem von Welty et al. [2003] mittels Störungstheorie entwickelten dichteabhängigen Makrodispersionstensor konnte in dieser Arbeit die stochastische Formel für die transversale Makrodispersion weiter entwickelt und - sowohl experimentell als auch numerisch - verifiziert werden.

A Study of a Comprehensive Career Services System in Chinese Universities

Since 1999, with the adoption of expansion policy in higher education by the Chinese government, enrollment and graduate numbers have been increasing at an unprecedented speed. Accustomed to a system in which university graduates were placed, many students are not trained in “selling themselves”, which exacerbates the situation leading to a skyrocketing unemployment rate among new graduates. The idea of emphasizing career services comes with increasing employment pressure among university graduates in recent years. The 1998 “Higher Education Act” made it a legislative requirement. Thereafter, the Ministry of Education issued a series of documents in order to promote the development of career services. All higher education institutions are required to set up special career service centers and to set a ratio of 1:500 between career staff and the total number of students. Related career management courses, especially career planning classes, are required to be clearly included as specific modules into the teaching plan with a requirement of no less than 38 sessions in one semester at all universities. Developing career services in higher education has thus become a hot issue. One of the more notable trends in higher education in recent years has been the transformation of university career service centers from merely being the coordinators of on-campus placement into full service centers for international career development. The traditional core of career services in higher education had been built around guidance, information and placements (Watts, 1997). This core was still in place, but the role of higher education career services has changed considerably in recent years and the nature of each part is being transformed (Watts, 1997). Most services are undertaking a range of additional activities, and the career guidance issue is emphasized much more than before. Career management courses, especially career planning classes, are given special focus in developing career services in the Chinese case. This links career services clearly and directly with the course provision function. In China, most career service centers are engaging in the transformation period from a “management-oriented” organization to a “service-oriented” organization. Besides guidance services, information services and placement activities, there is a need to blend them together with the new additional teaching function, which follows the general trend as regulated by the government. The role of career services has been expanding and this has brought more challenges to its development in Chinese higher education. Chinese universities still remain in the period of exploration and establishment in developing their own career services. In the face of the new situation, it is very important and meaningful to explore and establish a comprehensive career services system to address student needs in the universities. A key part in developing this system is the introduction of career courses and delivering related career management skills to the students. So there is the need to restructure the career service sectors within the Chinese universities in general. The career service centers will operate as a hub and function as a spoke in the wheel of this model system, providing support and information to staff located in individual teaching departments who are responsible for the delivery of career education, information, advice and guidance. The career service centers will also provide training and career planning classes. The purpose of establishing a comprehensive career services system is to provide a strong base for student career development. The students can prepare themselves well in psychology, ideology and ability before employment with the assistance of effective career services. To conclude, according to the different characteristics and needs of students, there will be appropriate services and guidance in different stages and different ways. In other words, related career services and career guidance activities would be started for newly enrolled freshmen and continue throughout their whole university process. For the operation of a comprehensive services system, there is a need for strong support by the government in the form of macro-control and policy guarantee, but support by the government in the form of macro-control and policy guarantee, but also a need for close cooperation with the academic administration and faculties to be actively involved in career planning and employment programs. As an integral function within the universities, career services must develop and maintain productive relationships with relevant campus offices and key stakeholders both within the universities and externally.

Status and Potential of Smallholder Livestock Production Systems in Xishuangbanna, southern P.R. China

With Chinas rapid economic development during the last decades, the national demand for livestock products has quadrupled within the last 20 years. Most of that increase in demand has been answered by subsidized industrialized production systems, while million of smallholders, which still provide the larger share of livestock products in the country, have been neglected. Fostering those systems would help China to lower its strong urban migration streams, enhance the livelihood of poorer rural population and provide environmentally save livestock products which have a good chance to satisfy customers demand for ecological food. Despite their importance, China’s smallholder livestock keepers have not yet gained appropriate attention from governmental authorities and researchers. However, profound analysis of those systems is required so that adequate support can lead to a better resource utilization and productivity in the sector. To this aim, this pilot study analyzes smallholder livestock production systems in Xishuangbanna, located in southern China. The area is bordered by Lao and Myanmar and geographically counts as tropical region. Its climate is characterized by dry and temperate winters and hot summers with monsoon rains from May to October. While the regionis plain, at about 500 m asl above sea level in the south, outliers of the Himalaya mountains reach out into the north of Xishuangbanna, where the highest peak reaches 2400 m asl. Except of one larger city, Jinghong, Xishuangbanna mainly is covered by tropical rainforest, areas under agricultural cultivation and villages. The major income is generated through inner-Chinese tourism and agricultural production. Intensive rubber plantations are distinctive for the lowland plains while small-scaled traditional farms are scattered in the mountane regions. In order to determine the current state and possible future chances of smallholder livestock production in that region, this study analyzed the current status of the smallholder livestock sector in the Naban River National Nature Reserve (NRNNR), an area which is largely representative for the whole prefecture. It covers an area of about 50square kilometer and reaches from 470 up to 2400 m asl. About 5500 habitants of different ethnic origin are situated in 24 villages. All data have been collected between October 2007 and May 2010. Three major objectives have been addressed in the study: 1. Classifying existing pig production systems and exploring respective pathways for development 2. Quantifying the performance of pig breeding systemsto identify bottlenecks for production 3. Analyzing past and current buffalo utilization to determine the chances and opportunities of buffalo keeping in the future In order to classify the different pig production s ystems, a baseline survey (n=204, stratified cluster sampling) was carried out to gain data about livestock species, numbers, management practices, cultivated plant species and field sizes as well associo-economic characteristics. Sampling included two clusters at village level (altitude, ethnic affiliation), resulting in 13 clusters of which 13-17 farms were interviewed respectively. Categorical Principal Component Analysis (CatPCA) and a two-step clustering algorithm have been applied to identify determining farm characteristics and assort recorded households into classes of livestock production types. The variables keep_sow_yes/no, TLU_pig, TLU_buffalo, size_of_corn_fields, altitude_class, size_of_tea_plantationand size_of_rubber_fieldhave been found to be major determinants for the characterization of the recorded farms. All farms have extensive or semi-intensive livestock production, pigs and buffaloes are predominant livestock species while chicken and aquaculture are available but play subordinate roles for livelihoods. All pig raisers rely on a single local breed, which is known as Small Ear Pig (SMEP) in the region. Three major production systemshave been identified: Livestock-corn based LB; 41%), rubber based (RB; 39%) and pig based (PB;20%) systems. RB farms earn high income from rubber and fatten 1.9 ±1.80 pigs per household (HH), often using purchased pig feed at markets. PB farms own similar sized rubber plantations and raise 4.7 ±2.77 pigs per HH, with fodder mainly being cultivated and collected in theforest. LB farms grow corn, rice and tea and keep 4.6 ±3.32 pigs per HH, also fed with collected and cultivated fodder. Only 29% of all pigs were marketed (LB: 20%; RB: 42%; PB: 25%), average annual mortality was 4.0 ±4.52 pigs per farm (LB: 4.6 ±3.68; RB: 1.9 ±2.14; PB: 7.1 ±10.82). Pig feed mainly consists of banana pseudo stem, corn and rice hives and is prepared in batches about two to three times per week. Such fodder might be sufficient in energy content but lacks appropriate content of protein. Pigs therefore suffer from malnutrition, which becomes most critical in the time before harvest season around October. Farmers reported high occurrences of gastrointestinal parasites in carcasses and often pig stables were wet and filled with manure. Deficits in nutritional and hygienic management are major limits for development and should be the first issues addressed to improve productivity. SME pork was found to be known and referred by local customers in town and by richer lowland farmers. However, high prices and lacking availability of SME pork at local wet-markets were the reasons which limited purchase. If major management constraints are overcome, pig breeders (PB and LB farms) could increase the share of marketed pigs for town markets and provide fatteners to richer RB farmers. RB farmers are interested in fattening pigs for home consumption but do not show any motivation for commercial pig raising. To determine the productivity of input factors in pig production, eproductive performance, feed quality and quantity as well as weight development of pigs under current management were recorded. The data collection included a progeny history survey covering 184 sows and 437 farrows, bi-weekly weighing of 114 pigs during a 16-months time-span on 21 farms (10 LB and 11 PB) as well as the daily recording of feed quality and quantity given to a defined number of pigs on the same 21 farms. Feed samples of all recorded ingredients were analyzed for their respective nutrient content. Since no literature values on thedigestibility of banana pseudo stem – which is a major ingredient of traditional pig feed in NRNNR – were found, a cross-sectional digestibility trial with 2x4 pigs has been conducted on a station in the research area. With the aid of PRY Herd Life Model, all data have been utilized to determine thesystems’ current (Status Quo = SQ) output and the productivity of the input factor “feed” in terms of saleable life weight per kg DM feed intake and monetary value of output per kg DM feed intake.Two improvement scenarios were simulated, assuming 1) that farmers adopt a culling managementthat generates the highest output per unit input (Scenario 1; SC I) and 2) that through improved feeding, selected parameters of reproduction are improved by 30% (SC II). Daily weight gain averaged 55 ± 56 g per day between day 200 and 600. The average feed energy content of traditional feed mix was 14.92 MJ ME. Age at first farrowing averaged 14.5 ± 4.34 months, subsequent inter-farrowing interval was 11.4 ± 2.73 months. Littersize was 5.8 piglets and weaning age was 4.3 ± 0.99 months. 18% of piglets died before weaning. Simulating pig production at actualstatus, it has been show that monetary returns on inputs (ROI) is negative (1:0.67), but improved (1:1.2) when culling management was optimized so that highest output is gained per unit feed input. If in addition better feeding, controlled mating and better resale prices at fixed dates were simulated, ROI further increased to 1:2.45, 1:2.69, 1:2.7 and 1:3.15 for four respective grower groups. Those findings show the potential of pork production, if basic measures of improvement are applied. Futureexploration of the environment, including climate, market-season and culture is required before implementing the recommended measures to ensure a sustainable development of a more effective and resource conserving pork production in the future. The two studies have shown that the production of local SME pigs plays an important role in traditional farms in NRNNR but basic constraints are limiting their productivity. However, relatively easy approaches are sufficient for reaching a notable improvement. Also there is a demand for more SME pork on local markets and, if basic constraints have been overcome, pig farmers could turn into more commercial producers and provide pork to local markets. By that, environmentally safe meat can be offered to sensitive consumers while farmers increase their income and lower the risk of external shocks through a more diverse income generating strategy. Buffaloes have been found to be the second important livestock species on NRNNR farms. While they have been a core resource of mixed smallholderfarms in the past, the expansion of rubber tree plantations and agricultural mechanization are reasons for decreased swamp buffalo numbers today. The third study seeks to predict future utilization of buffaloes on different farm types in NRNNR by analyzing the dynamics of its buffalo population and land use changes over time and calculating labor which is required for keeping buffaloes in view of the traction power which can be utilized for field preparation. The use of buffaloes for field work and the recent development of the egional buffalo population were analyzed through interviews with 184 farmers in 2007/2008 and discussions with 62 buffalo keepers in 2009. While pig based farms (PB; n=37) have abandoned buffalo keeping, 11% of the rubber based farms (RB; n=71) and 100% of the livestock-corn based farms (LB; n=76) kept buffaloes in 2008. Herd size was 2.5 ±1.80 (n=84) buffaloes in early 2008 and 2.2 ±1.69 (n=62) in 2009. Field work on own land was the main reason forkeeping buffaloes (87.3%), but lending work buffaloes to neighbors (79.0%) was also important. Other purposes were transport of goods (16.1%), buffalo trade (11.3%) and meat consumption(6.4%). Buffalo care required 6.2 ±3.00 working hours daily, while annual working time of abuffalo was 294 ±216.6 hours. The area ploughed with buffaloes remained constant during the past 10 years despite an expansion of land cropped per farm. Further rapid replacement of buffaloes by tractors is expected in the near future. While the work economy is drastically improved by the use of tractors, buffaloes still can provide cheap work force and serve as buffer for economic shocks on poorer farms. Especially poor farms, which lack alternative assets that could quickly be liquidizedin times of urgent need for cash, should not abandon buffalo keeping. Livestock has been found to be a major part of small mixed farms in NRNNR. The general productivity was low in both analyzed species, buffaloes and pigs. Productivity of pigs can be improved through basic adjustments in feeding, reproductive and hygienic management, and with external support pig production could further be commercialized to provide pork and weaners to local markets and fattening farms. Buffalo production is relatively time intensive, and only will be of importance in the future to very poor farms and such farms that cultivate very small terraces on steep slopes. These should be encouraged to further keep buffaloes. With such measures, livestock production in NRNNR has good chances to stay competitive in the future.

Double burden malnutrition of preschool children and its association with brain development and milk consumption

Protecting the quality of children growth and development becomes a supreme qualification for the betterment of a nation. Double burden child malnutrition is emerging worldwide which might have a strong influence to the quality of child brain development and could not be paid-off on later life. Milk places a notable portion during the infancy and childhood. Thus, the deep insight on milk consumption pattern might explain the phenomenon of double burden child malnutrition correlated to the cognitive impairments. Objective: Current study is intended (1) to examine the current face of Indonesian double burden child malnutrition: a case study in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, (2) to investigate the association of this phenomenon with child brain development, and (3) to examine the contribution of socioeconomic status and milk consumption on this phenomenon so that able to formulate some possible solutions to encounter this problem. Design: A cross-sectional study using a structured coded questionnaire was conducted among 387 children age 5-6 years old and their parents from 8 areas in Bogor, West-Java, Indonesia on November 2012 to December 2013, to record some socioeconomic status, anthropometric measurements, and history of breast feeding. Diet and probability of milk intake was assessed by two 24 h dietary recalls and food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Usual daily milk intake was calculated using Multiple Source Method (MSM). Some brain development indicators (IQ, EQ, learning, and memory ability) using Projective Multi-phase Orientation method was also executed to learn the correlation between double burden child malnutrition and some brain development indicator. Results and conclusions: A small picture of child double burden malnutrition is shown in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, where prevalence of Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) is 27.1%, Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) is 24.9%, and overnutrition is 7.7%. This phenomenon proves to impair the child brain development. The malnourished children, both under- and over- nourished children have significantly (P-value<0.05) lower memory ability compared to the normal children (memory score, N; SAM = 45.2, 60; MAM = 48.5, 61; overweight = 48.4, 43; obesity = 47.9, 60; normal = 52.4, 163). The plausible reasons behind these evidences are the lack of nutrient intake during the sprout growth period on undernourished children or increasing adiposity on overnourished children might influence the growth of hippocampus area which responsible to the memory ability. Either undernutrition or overnutrition, the preventive action on this problem is preferable to avoid ongoing cognitive performance loss of the next generation. Some possible solutions for this phenomenon are promoting breast feeding initiation and exclusive breast feeding practices for infants, supporting the consumption of a normal portion of milk (250 to 500 ml per day) for children, and breaking the chain of poverty by socioeconomic improvement. And, the national food security becomes the fundamental point for the betterment of the next. In the global context, the causes of under- and over- nutrition have to be opposed through integrated and systemic approaches for a better quality of the next generation of human beings.

Evolución reciente del mercado de trabajo de los titulados universitarios.

Realizar un estudio descriptivo del comportamiento del mercado de trabajo de los titulados universitarios. El mercado de trabajo de Asturias de titulados universitarios. El estudio descriptivo del comportamiento del mercado de trabajo de los titulados universitarios, se hizo a través de las siguientes magnitudes: 1. La población que tiene estudios universitarios. 2. Evolución y composición del alumnado universitario en España. 3. Actividad y ocupacion de los titulados. 4. Evolución y características del paro de los universitarios. Aunque en principio se pensaba hacer una explotación de los datos del padrón de Asturias, se realizó basándose en estadísticas y análisis de publicaciones e informes ya existentes. El crecimiento de la educación universitaria en los últimos años ha situado a España con una de las tasas de escolarización post-secundaria más altas de entre los países de nuestro contexto. El sistema español presenta una composición desequilibrada, predominando la elección de carreras de ciclo largo, los títulos de Humanidades y con una presencia reducida de mujeres en las carreras que mejor comportamiento tienen en el mercado laboral. En los últimos años se ha producido un aumento notable de la población activa de estudios post-secundarios y universitarios que se emplean en el sector servicios en su mayoría. Los canales de acceso al empleo siguen siendo las vías informales. Las tasas de paro de los universitarios son sensiblemente menores que las del conjunto de la población activa, aunque el descenso del paro de los últimos años ha sido más tardío y con menor ritmo para los universitarios. Se trata de paro de jóvenes, mujeres y titulados en Filosofía y Letras, Profesorado de EGB, Biología y Química, últimamente se está recuperando la ocupación en este último grupo. Las titulaciones con menor nivel de paro son las de carácter técnico, grado medio como Ingenierías Técnicas. En Asturias la población laboral con estudios universitarios desempleados en del 12,6 por ciento, y más del 10 por ciento está empleado en labores distintas a su especialidad. Este trabajo, junto con otros tres, forma parte del informe: 'Demanda de titulados universitarios en Asturias'. Circa el 2000. Y las conclusiones finales y la bibliografía de este trabajo están redactadas en dicho informe por los profesores y titulados autores de las cuatro investigaciones.

La mujer en el mercado de trabajo español 1963-1975.

Demostrar cuantitativamente la discriminación que sufre la mujer en el mercado de trabajo. Comportamiento de la fuerza laboral femenina entre 1963 y 1975. Es de naturaleza descriptiva y su contenido se ha llevado a efecto desde dos líneas principales: empleo y salario. Los aspectos que analiza son los siguientes: actividad laboral de la mujer en función de la edad, nivel educativo y sector económico, enfoques económicos de la discriminación en el mercado de trabajo, problemas metodológicos en la medición de la discriminación salarial, diferencias salariales detallando la evolución de la variable salario medio por hora trabajada para los dos sexos, variables explicativas del comportamiento de la mujer en el mercado de trabajo. Encuesta de la población activa, estadística industrial de España y encuesta de salarios del INE. Estadísticas de producción industrial y análisis de resultados de la organización sindical española. Análisis de los datos disponibles. 1) El proceso de incorporación de la mujer a la actividad económica fuera del hogar resulta notable y progresivo en el periodo estudiado, si bien con un considerable retraso con respecto a los países europeos. 2) La crisis económica sufrida en España a partir de 1974 pone de manifiesto el carácter de 'mano de obra de reserva' de la mujer, ya que se produce un alto índice de retirada del mercado de trabajo de la misma. 3) La participación activa femenina es superior en las edades más jovenes, desciende bruscamente a partir de los 25 y se recupera entre los 40 y 44 años; sin embargo, la participación activa masculina aumenta considerablemente desde los 25-30 años para descender a partir de los 55. 4) A mayor nivel cultural, la actividad femenina es más alta y la crisis económica afecta menos a su oferta. 5) Las mujeres, en términos relativos, se ven fundamentalmente afectadas por el desempleo cuando surgen crisis en el mundo de la industria. 6) Con respecto a la ocupación, las mujeres están segregadas, encontrándose muy representadas en pocos sectores y en tareas que requieren una menor cualificación y responsabilidad y que en muchos casos son reflejo de las tareas realizadas en el hogar. 7) La mujer percibe salarios más bajos que los hombres aún en el caso de que tenga la misma cualificación u ocupe los mismos puestos de trabajo. 8) Las diferencias salariales son más acusadas a medida que el nivel de cualificacion profesional es más elevado. 9) Su participación laboral guarda una correlación positiva con las variables salarios, producción y educación, siendo el efecto de las dos primeras poco significativo en comparación con el de la tercera. Esta tesis dota de contenido empírico a algunos de los factores discriminatorios de la mujer en el mercado de trabajo.

Rasgos de personalidad de los aspirantes a maestros.

Evaluar los factores primarios personales. Investigar las probables diferencias entre las cinco especialidades docentes: Ciencias Sociales, Ciencias, Filología, Educación Preescolar y Educación Especial. Estudiar diferencias de personalidad según el sexo. 225 alumnos de primer curso de la carrera de Magisterio, de la Escuela Universitaria de Magisterio de la Universidad de Oviedo. Variables investigadas: 16 rasgos de personalidad (factores primarios bipolares). Cuestionario de personalidad para adultos 16 PF de Cattell. Análisis descriptivos: medidas de posición, dispersión, asimetría y apuntamiento para describir las características del conjunto de datos. Análisis de diferencias: ANOVA y F para estudiar diferencias entre grupos y sexo. Prueba T cuando F es significativa para especificar qué pares de medias difieren de una forma significativa. Índice de correlación biserial-puntual para comprobar la intensidad de la relación encontrada y la proporción de varianza que se explica por la pertenencia a una de las especialidades o sexos que se confrontan en cada caso. Se detectan seis grandes características en la muestra estudiada: surgencia, tendencia a la culpabilidad, mucha tensión energética, pensamiento concreto, adhesión al grupo y baja integración. Solamente hay diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre los grupos especialidad en cuanto a tres factores: 1/ Sizotimia-afectotimia: los alumnos del grupo Educación Preescolar y Educación Especial presentan una notable tendencia a la afectotimia mientras que los alumnos de Ciencias y de Ciencias Sociales presentan tendencia a la sizotimia. 2/ Poca-mucha fuerza del superego: es destacable la situación del grupo de Educación Preescolar en el polo bajo del factor poca fuerza del superego, y la del grupo de Educación Especial en el polo alto, mucha fuerza del superego. 3/ Adhesión al grupo-autosuficiencia: el grupo de Educación Especial se sitúa en el polo bajo, adhesión al grupo y el de Ciencias Sociales se sitúa en el polo alto, autosuficiencia. En función del sexo se detectan diferencias en el factor 'harria-premsia', situándose las mujeres en el polo premsia y los varones en el polo harria. Las diferencias encontradas en otros factores son de escasísima relevancia.

La percepción de la Universidad por la población de Cantabria.

Conocer qué imagen social posee la población de la Universidad de Cantabria y de los universitarios. Conocer cuáles son para la población las principales funciones de la Universidad y qué opinan sobre el grado de su cumplimiento. Hipótesis principal: la Universidad de Cantabria es una organización básicamente desconocida para una gran parte de la población de la región. Tanto el conocimiento de la universidad como las imágenes y las opiniones sobre cómo es y debe ser su relación con la sociedad difiere de forma notable según los diversos grupos sociales. 1103 individuos mayores de 18 años residentes en 89 localidades de la Comunidad Autónoma de Cantabria. Muestreo estratificado según sexo, grupos de edad y tamaño de hábitat. Método de cuotas y sistema de itinerarios aleatorios. Las variables analizadas son: relaciones de la población con la Universidad de Cantabria (contacto, conocimiento y opinión sobre la información que proporcionan los mass media), la elección de estudios universitarios (estudios recomendados para el hombre y para la mujer), valoración de la Universidad (calidad de enseñanza, problemas, opinión sobre los objetivos, acceso y permanencia), actitudes sobre la universidad, los profesores y los estudiantes. Cuestionario 'ad hoc' aplicado en los domicilios, en forma de entrevista personal. Estudios en otras comunidades. Estudios en Cantabria. Se han obtenido frecuencias y porcentajes de todas las variables, así como la distribución de resultados según cada una de ellas. La mayor parte de la población no mantiene ni ha mantenido ningún contacto con la Universidad. Los encuestados consideran la posesión de estudios superiores como una meta deseable ya que, según su opinión, posibilita la adquisición de una cultura y de una posición económica destacada. Cuando se interroga a la población sobre qué estudios recomendaría para un hombre y para una mujer, se observa que, una proporción considerable, recomienda carreras diferentes. La población considera que la calidad de la enseñanza universitaria es aceptable. Masificación, escasez de recursos y mala organización, son citados como algunos de los principales problemas de la Universidad. Se observa un amplio acuerdo sobre la existencia de discriminación económica y territorial en el acceso a la Universidad. Existe un amplio convencimiento de que la mujer rinde igual que los hombres en los estudios universitarios. Con respecto a la adecuación de la Enseñanza Superior a las necesidades sociales, se cree que la Universidad tiene una gran influencia en el desarrollo cultural de la región, pero no así en el desarrrollo económico. Las actitudes más positivas ante la Universidad y sus distintos miembros provienen de los grupos sociales que tienen una menor relación con esta institución; por el contrario, los colectivos que tienen un mayor contacto con la Enseñanza Superior son los que realizan una crítica más negativa.

Relative Contributions of Internal and External Features to Face Recognition

The central challenge in face recognition lies in understanding the role different facial features play in our judgments of identity. Notable in this regard are the relative contributions of the internal (eyes, nose and mouth) and external (hair and jaw-line) features. Past studies that have investigated this issue have typically used high-resolution images or good-quality line drawings as facial stimuli. The results obtained are therefore most relevant for understanding the identification of faces at close range. However, given that real-world viewing conditions are rarely optimal, it is also important to know how image degradations, such as loss of resolution caused by large viewing distances, influence our ability to use internal and external features. Here, we report experiments designed to address this issue. Our data characterize how the relative contributions of internal and external features change as a function of image resolution. While we replicated results of previous studies that have shown internal features of familiar faces to be more useful for recognition than external features at high resolution, we found that the two feature sets reverse in importance as resolution decreases. These results suggest that the visual system uses a highly non-linear cue-fusion strategy in combining internal and external features along the dimension of image resolution and that the configural cues that relate the two feature sets play an important role in judgments of facial identity.

La biblioteca de la Universidad de Oviedo (1765-1934)

Analizar qu?? ocurri?? en la Espa??a del S. XVIII en el campo de las bibliotecas para que ??stas alcanzasen un notable grado de desarrollo y para que algunas de las mejores cabezas del pa??s se ocupasen de un asunto tan trascendental. Reflexionar sobre las ideas que expresaron a este respecto dos grandes figuras del setecientos: el padre Sarmiento y Campomanes, sin olvidarse del gran acontecimiento que supuso la creaci??n de la Biblioteca Real. Historia de la biblioteca de la Universidad de Oviedo, desde su fundaci??n en 1765 hasta su destrucci??n en 1934. Se analiza el desarrollo hist??rico del establecimiento bibliotecario ovetense, el contenido del fondo bibliogr??fico del mismo, la organizaci??n de las colecciones, la normativa de acceso a la biblioteca, el uso que hac??an los lectores de los libros y revistas en ella conservados, as?? como la vida econ??mica de la misma y los espacios que ocupaba en el edificio universitario. Fuentes manuscritas, fuentes impresas y bibliograf??a. La biblioteca de la Universidad de Oviedo naci?? en la segunda mitad del S. XVIII como una obra p??a, eregida con el dinero legado por el brigadier Sol??s, gracias al entusiasmo de Campomanes. Era gobernada por un patronato del cual el rector era solamente uno de sus miembros. A finales del S. XVIII se hab??a convertido en uno de los centros bibliogr??ficos m??s destacados de Espa??a. Esta etapa se ve interrumpida por la invasi??n francesa de 1808, tras la cual se inicia una etapa de acusada decadencia. A partir de 1926 pasa a depender del Ministerio de Fomento. Los profesores y alumnos de la Universidad, pero tambi??n los de la Escuela de Magisterio y los del Instituto de Segunda Ense??anza, eran los principales usuarios de la biblioteca. Consultaban mayoritariamente libros de texto y otros de apoyo a la ense??anza en las salas de la biblioteca, pues ni a??n cuando el reglamento de 1901 autoriz?? el pr??stamo de libros, este sistema de lectura lleg?? a ser implantado en Oviedo. La consulta frecuente de libros de texto, de otras obras m??s especializadas y de revistas cient??ficas, era la nota m??s destacada de la biblioteca de la Facultad de Derecho. Los lectores no universitarios no frecuentaban mucho la biblioteca.. Se puede afirmar que desde 1770 hasta 1808 y desde el ??ltimo cuarto del siglo XIX hasta 1934, los libros y revistas de la biblioteca de la Universidad de Oviedo, de la biblioteca especial de la Facultad de Derecho y el fondo bibliogr??fico de la Facultad de Ciencias, fueron, como instrumento a favor de la ense??anza y la investigaci??n, un elemento de capital importancia al servicio de la comunidad universitaria ovetense.

Asturias en 1787 : demograf??a, econom??a, sociedad

Estudiar la variaci??n de la poblaci??n asturiana y los m??rgenes de su crecimiento a lo largo del s. XVIII. Asturias en 1787 seg??n los datos del censo de los 66 concejos realizado por Floridablanca. 1) An??lisis demogr??fico del censo de 1787: representatividad geogr??fica, consistencia interna de los datos, desarrollo demogr??fico, tasa de crecimiento anual, natalidad, nupcialidad y mortalidad. 2) Pir??mide por edades: pir??mide de poblaci??n, distribuci??n por estados civiles y grupos de edades, ??ndice de envejecimiento y fecundidad, estructura por sexos, nupcialidad, etc. 3) Emigraci??n asturiana hacia el final del siglo XVIII: valores cuantitativos. 4) Informaciones sociol??gicas: n??mero de estudiantes, conventos, beneficencia, colegios, etc. 5) Situaci??n econ??mica de Asturias seg??n el censo de 1787. Censo de Floridablanca. Estadillos, catastros y censos. Libros de actas de bautismos, matrimonios y defunciones. Archivos y bibliotecas. C??lculo de valores promedio. Aspectos demogr??ficos: la poblaci??n asturiana en 1878 en comparaci??n con la de Espa??a en general, era m??s joven, sus matrimonios eran m??s fecundos y hab??a m??s mujeres solteras, definitivamente c??libes y viudas. Expresado en tantos por ciento respecto a la de Espa??a, la poblaci??n de Asturias ten??a, por cada mil habitantes, un 6,70 por ciento m??s de ni??os entre 0 y 7 a??os, un 2,09 por ciento m??s de ni??os entre 8 y 16 a??os y un 1,55 por ciento m??s de j??venes entre 17 y 25 a??os; a partir de los 25 a??os, la emigraci??n va a producir que Asturias tenga un 6,24 por ciento menos de pobladores en el tramo de edades de 26 a 40 a??os. Aspectos sociol??gicos: Asturias era una de la regiones m??s pobres de Espa??a; ocupacionalmente, era bastante uniforme; ten??a una atenci??n religiosa menor que el promedio espa??ol; era una regi??n muy agr??cola y muy poco industrializada; por su n??mero de abogados y escribanos ocupaba la d??cima posici??n entre las 35 regiones espa??olas; el n??mero de hidalgos residentes en Asturias era muy notable y superior al de otras regiones; por el n??mero de estudiantes mayores de 16 a??os, ocupaba el puesto 21, lo que indica que era una regi??n bastante culta, a lo que pudo contribuir el contar con una universidad; en Oviedo hab??a en ese momento 4 colegios (tres de hombres y uno de mujeres). Se pueden encuadrar perfectamente, dentro del esquema demogr??fico general elaborado, los datos sobre emigraci??n selectiva hallados para los diferentes grupos de concejos, as?? como las distintas distribuciones diferenciales de poblaci??n encontradas, lo que permite establecer para los diferentes grupos de concejos 'modelos demogr??ficos' ligeramente distintos entre s??, en funci??n del ??rea geogr??fica donde se encuentran situados.