Regulation of Port Charges in Spain: Global versus Local Competition

This article examines the determinants of traffic volumes and the revenues per tonne generated by Spain’s port authorities. The interest of the study lies on the strong differences between port authorities in a context of strict regulation but that provides some scope for price competition. We find that port charges influence the amount of traffic that a port is able to generate. Furthermore, we find clear evidence of local price competition and report mixed results for global competition. Revenues per tonne are higher in ports operating more international regular lines and with multinational terminal operators, while they are lower in ports with nearby competing facilities and where the market share of the dominant shipping firm is high.

Braving the Storm: How Are Global Biofuel Policies Sustained Despite Being Contested? An Analysis of the Biofuel Discourses of the EU, Brazil and Mozambique

Considered as a remedy to multiple problems that our world is facing, biofuels are nowadays promoted on a global scale. Despite this globalised approach, however, biofuels are heavily contested. Not only the social implications of biofuels are disputed and uncertain, particularly in countries of the global South, but also their environmental and economic rationales. Given these huge controversies, policies promoting biofuels would seem difficult to maintain. Yet, support for them has been surprisingly well established on the political agendas. With the aim of understanding this puzzle, this study asks how the dominant approach to biofuels has been sustained on a global level. In order to answer this question, the meanings and assumptions in biofuel discourses are explored through the lens of Maarten Hajer’s “argumentative” discourse analysis. Based on the existence of a “partnership for sustainable bioenergy” between the EU, Brazil and Mozambique, the study takes these three locations as case studies. The analysis reveals that various discursive strategies, including a particular problem construction and the use of two main story-lines, have played an important role in ensuring the permanence of the global approach to biofuels. Moreover, while the discourse of critics against biofuels demonstrates that there is room for contestation, the analysis finds that the opponents’ discourse largely fails to target the most salient justification for biofuels. A more effective strategy for critics would therefore be to also question the problem constructions underpinning this main justification in the global discourse.

Customer-Related Internal Communication in a Global Matrix Organization

The objective of the thesis was to explore the nature and characteristics of customer-related internal communication in a global industrial matrix organization during a specific customer relationship, and how it could be improved. The theoretical part of the study views the field of the concepts of intra-organizational information and knowledge sharing. The theoretical part also views the internal communications influences to customer relationships, its problematic, and the suggestions to improve internal communication in literature. The empirical part of the study was conducted with the Content Analysis and the Social Network Analysis as research methods. The data was collected by interviews and a questionnaire. Internal communication was observed first generally within the organization from the point of view of a certain business, and secondly, during a specific customer relationship at personal level and at departmental level. The results of the study describe the nature and characteristics of internal communication in the organization. The results give 13 suggestions for improving internal communication in the organization. Although the study has been done in one specific organization, it also offers insights for other organizations as well as managers to improve their internal communication.

Absence of flash-lag when judging global shape from local positions

When a flash is presented aligned with a moving stimulus, the former is perceived to lag behind the latter (the flash-lag effect). We study whether this mislocalization occurs when a positional judgment is not required, but a veridical spatial relationship between moving and flashed stimuli is needed to perceive a global shape. To do this, we used Glass patterns that are formed by pairs of correlated dots. One dot of each pair was presented moving and, at a given moment, the other dot of each pair was flashed in order to build the Glass pattern. If a flash-lag effect occurs between each pair of dots, we expect the best perception of the global shape to occur when the flashed dots are presented before the moving dots arrive at the position that physically builds the Glass pattern. Contrary to this, we found that the best detection of Glass patterns occurred for the situation of physical alignment. This result is not consistent with a low-level contribution to the flash-lag effect.

La competència intercultural com a recurs per a contemplar una dimensió global i inclusiva del col·lectiu amazic. En relació amb les competències bàsiques i l'àrea d'educació física de primària

Des que es va iniciar el segle, i a causa dels grans fluxos migratoris de procedències diverses, la població de Catalunya s’ha incrementat en més d’1 milió d’habitants. Diferents actors socials reivindiquen que un dels reptes presents en la societat catalana és reduir les diferències i en alguns casos les desigualtats que es detecten entre la població autòctona i la població d’origen estranger. Amb tot això, diversos autors afirmen que l’espai d’Educació Física de Primària és un espai òptim per atendre a la diversitat cultural, promoure els valors humans, la no discriminació entre l'alumnat i la cohesió i inclusió social. Amb tot aquest marc, apareix el professorat d’Educació Física de Primària i la competència intercultural com a agents de canvi per tal de promocionar la inclusió social en les seves sessions i de retruc en societat. En aquest Treball de Fi de Grau, s’intentarà analitzar i aportar solucions sobre algunes de les qüestions que afecten tant als Mestres d’Educació Física de Primària com a la competència intercultural a l’hora de promocionar la inclusió social del col•lectiu Marroquí, ja que aquest és més nombrós de població estrangera empadronada a Catalunya.

The whereabouts of an ancient wonderer: Global phylogeography of the solitary ascidian Styela plicata

Genetic tools have greatly aided in tracing the sources and colonization history of introduced species. However, recurrent introductions and repeated shuffling of populations may have blurred some of the genetic signals left by ancient introductions. Styela plicata is a solitary ascidian distributed worldwide. Although its origin remains unclear, this species is believed to have spread worldwide by travelling on ship's hulls. The goals of this study were to infer the genetic structure and global phylogeography of S. plicata and to look for present-day and historical genetic patterns. Two genetic markers were used: a fragment of the mitochondrial gene Cytochrome Oxidase subunit I (COI) and a fragment of the nuclear gene Adenine Nucleotide Transporter/ADP-ATP Translocase (ANT). A total of 368 individuals for COI and 315 for ANT were sequenced from 17 locations worldwide. The levels of gene diversity were moderate for COI to high for ANT. The Mediterranean populations showed the least diversity and allelic richness for both markers, while the Indian, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans had the highest gene and nucleotide diversities. Network and phylogenetic analyses with COI and ANT revealed two groups of alleles separated by 15 and 4 mutational steps, respectively. The existence of different lineages suggested an ancient population split. However, the geographic distributions of these groups did not show any consistent pattern, indicating different phylogeographic histories for each gene. Genetic divergence was significant for many population-pairs irrespective of the geographic distance among them. Stochastic introduction events are reflected in the uneven distribution of COI and ANT allele frequencies and groups among many populations. Our results confirmed that S. plicata has been present in all studied oceans for a long time, and that recurrent colonization events and occasional shuffling among populations have determined the actual genetic structure of this species.

Políticas de interrelación de la facultad de Bellas Artes de Barcelona y la empresa privada. Difusión de evidencias y competencias profesionales para nuestros estudiantes en una sociedad contemporánea

Políticas de interrelación de la facultad de Bellas Artes de Barcelona y la empresa privada. Difusión de evidencias y competencias profesionales para nuestros estudiantes en una sociedad contemporánea Resulta de extrema importancia el componente crítico y autocrítico en el discurso que desde las artes se pueda ir generando respecto a la sociedad que nos toca vivir. Es evidente que en la construcción de toda sociedad avanzada, el pensamiento y por tanto las artes, deben aportar un elemento de difusión de ideas que puedan aportar un valor añadido a la configuración de nuestras ciudades como aglutinantes de nuestra sociedad. Los medios de comunicación son herramientas clave para ese propósito. Es por tanto necesario conectar el arte con los medios y por ende al estudiante de arte con esos mecanismos de difusión, mediante publicaciones y exposiciones de esas ideas artísticas que recogen el verdadero pulso creativo de una sociedad emergente, representada por su juventud dentro de las universidades. En la búsqueda de nuevos mecanismos que dotasen a nuestra docencia de un componente de experiencia basada en la propia praxis de aquello concerniente a la puesta en escena de los resultados creativos, fruto de la producción artística de nuestros alumnos, nos movilizamos en el Departamento de Escultura de nuestra Facultad y particularmente desde la Comisión de Publicaciones y Exposiciones, para buscar empresas, revistas, editoriales, fundaciones, etc. al margen de los congresos relacionados con el tema, que nos permitieran poner en común dichos resultados, además de poder publicar artículos de los docentes que explicasen esas experiencias.

Thermal Degradation of Small Molecules: A Global Metabolomic Investigation.

Thermal processes are widely used in small molecule chemical analysis and metabolomics for derivatization, vaporization, chromatography, and ionization, especially in gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/MS). In this study the effect of heating was examined on a set of 64 small molecule standards and, separately, on human plasma metabolite extracts. The samples, either derivatized or underivatized, were heated at three different temperatures (60, 100, and 250 °C) at different exposure times (30 s, 60 s, and 300 s). All the samples were analyzed by liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC/MS) and the data processed by XCMS Online ( xcmsonline.scripps.edu ). The results showed that heating at an elevated temperature of 100 °C had an appreciable effect on both the underivatized and derivatized molecules, and heating at 250 °C created substantial changes in the profile. For example, over 40% of the molecular peaks were altered in the plasma metabolite analysis after heating (250 °C, 300s) with a significant formation of degradation and transformation products. The analysis of 64 small molecule standards validated the temperature-induced changes observed on the plasma metabolites, where most of the small molecules degraded at elevated temperatures even after minimal exposure times (30 s). For example, tri- and diorganophosphates (e.g., adenosine triphosphate and adenosine diphosphate) were readily degraded into a mono-organophosphate (e.g., adenosine monophosphate) during heating. Nucleosides and nucleotides (e.g., inosine and inosine monophosphate) were also found to be transformed into purine derivatives (e.g., hypoxanthine). A newly formed transformation product, oleoyl ethyl amide, was identified in both the underivatized and derivatized forms of the plasma extracts and small molecule standard mixture, and was likely generated from oleic acid. Overall these analyses show that small molecules and metabolites undergo significant time-sensitive alterations when exposed to elevated temperatures, especially those conditions that mimic sample preparation and analysis in GC/MS experiments.

La imagen corporal en la sociedad del siglo XXI

La imagen corporal (IC) representa la forma en la que un individuo se percibe, imagina, siente y actúa respecto a su propio cuerpo. Es un concepto dinámico que puede modificarse a lo largo de la vida. La percepción de nuestro propio cuerpo está influida por factores socioculturales. Desde el punto de vista histórico, el concepto de belleza se ha modificado sustancialmente. En la prehistoria, la belleza se asociaba a la reproducción de la especie, mientras que en la actualidad, se asocia al éxito personal, profesional y social. El estereotipo de belleza femenino de las sociedades contemporáneas se basa en la extrema delgadez y el masculino en cuerpos musculados. La lucha por alcanzar el canon de belleza impuesto por la sociedad ha contribuido a la aparición de diferentes trastornos de la imagen corporal (TIC). Los medios de comunicación son un factor importante en el desarrollo de determinados procesos patológicos, en la insatisfacción con la propia IC y en la estigmatización del individuo. Se consideran los principales impulsores de los patrones estéticos, siendo las mujeres y los adolescentes los más vulnerables. Las diferentes investigaciones indican que los TIC son frecuentes siendo los trastornos de la conducta alimentaria (TCA) los que suponen un mayor número de ingresos y reingresos entre la población femenina. Aunque los TCA afectan principalmente a la población adolescente, los estudios muestran que puede aparecer en la edad adulta e incluso en la infancia. En el sexo masculino, el trastorno dismórfico corporal (TDC) parece ser el más prevalente. La prevención y el tratamiento de este tipo de trastornos es primordial. En este sentido, enfermería tiene un papel fundamental debido al frecuente contacto que mantiene con el paciente. Debido a la importancia concedida en la sociedad actual a la apariencia física y las posibles repercusiones que ello conlleva, el presente trabajo pretende realizar una revisión de la literatura con el objetivo de analizar el valor y la exigencia que otorga la sociedad a la IC. Palabras clave: imagen corporal, desórdenes mentales, estigma social, medios de comunicación, epidemiología, cuidados de enfermería, proceso de atención de enfermería.

La administración de las sociedades de capital por sociedades de capital. Valorar la posible responsabilidad solidaria del representante legal-persona física de la sociedad

Aquest treball pretén desenvolupar algunes de les diferents responsabilitats en què pot incórrer el representant persona física de l'administrador persona jurídica d'una societat mercantil.

La societat civil global: les complexitats d’un espai de contestació

Societat civil global és un concepte contestat utilitzat des de diferents aproximacions per a descriure una realitat global. El working paper assenyala la utilitat d’una aproximació de societat civil global per analitzar les potencialitats de l’esfera d’abordar els reptes globals del món d’avui. D’acord amb aquesta aproximació la societat civil global és una àrea global complexa de conflicte i contestació, una àrea que ofereix un lloc i uns valors per a reconsiderar el món de diferents maneres, incloent les visions dels marginats de la societat civil. Per una millor comprensió del concepte i dels debats actuals, el paper repassa les concepcions històriques de societat civil des de la Il·lustració fins avui i el context en el qual el concepte adquireix un nou significat i incorpora l’aspecte global. El paper és la fase inicial d’una futura recerca sobre les potencialitats de la societat civil global per a influir i modelar l’estructura del sistema internacional.

Complex patterns of global spread in invasive insects: eco-evolutionary and management consequences

The advent of simple and affordable tools for molecular identification of novel insect invaders and assessment of population diversity has changed the face of invasion biology in recent years. The widespread application of these tools has brought with it an emerging understanding that patterns in biogeography, introduction history and subsequent movement and spread of many invasive alien insects are far more complex than previously thought. We reviewed the literature and found that for a number of invasive insects, there is strong and growing evidence that multiple introductions, complex global movement, and population admixture in the invaded range are commonplace. Additionally, historical paradigms related to species and strain identities and origins of common invaders are in many cases being challenged. This has major consequences for our understanding of basic biology and ecology of invasive insects and impacts quarantine, management and biocontrol programs. In addition, we found that founder effects rarely limit fitness in invasive insects and may benefit populations (by purging harmful alleles or increasing additive genetic variance). Also, while phenotypic plasticity appears important post-establishment, genetic diversity in invasive insects is often higher than expected and increases over time via multiple introductions. Further, connectivity among disjunct regions of global invasive ranges is generally far higher than expected and is often asymmetric, with some populations contributing disproportionately to global spread. We argue that the role of connectivity in driving the ecology and evolution of introduced species with multiple invasive ranges has been historically underestimated and that such species are often best understood in a global context.