Consulintel (Spain)

Why did this epoxy-based flooring solution start to change colors after more than a year in service?

Elemento estratégico da agropecuária sustentável, a rastreabilidade é um tema incipiente e que justifica a investigação para contribuir com o desenvolvimento científico, gerencial e do ecossistema de inovação. Por estes motivos, a presente dissertação tem como objetivo identificar os mecanismos de rastreabilidade de alimentos utilizados atualmente pelas empresas agroindustriais e se há contribuições para agregação de valor e confiança em produtos alimentícios. Da mesma forma, se propõe a identificar quais tecnologias já são utilizadas para rastreabilidade em alimentos - com um recorte para o segmento do açúcar brasileiro -, quais inovações estão sendo desenvolvidas para o tema no setor assim como identificar, na visão dos agentes, produtores rurais e consumidores, quais os benefícios e desafios para as cadeias produtivas. A dissertação é composta por mapeamento de tecnologias de rastreabilidade em uso no mercado, por pesquisa quantitativa sobre como a rastreabilidade e inovações são percebidas pelos consumidores de alimentos, por estudo qualitativo de análise do discurso de agentes da cadeia produtiva em relação aos desafios e benefícios da rastreabilidade em produtos alimentícios rastreados, além de pesquisa quantitativa realizada com produtores de cana-de-açúcar para avaliar a contribuição de novas tecnologias e agregação de valor com a rastreabilidade do açúcar. Como parte dos resultados observou-se que rastreabilidade gera benefícios em toda a cadeia no que tange a conformidade socioambiental, transparência, confiabilidade e redução de assimetria de informações. Pelo lado do mercado, consumidores têm disposição a pagar mais por atributos de inovação/tecnologia e processo produtivo. Pelo lado do setor produtivo, produtores de maior porte e mais capitalizados conseguem adotar e investir em rastreabilidade mesmo sem incentivos por parte de agentes da cadeia sejam públicos ou privados. Por fim, conclui-se que há oportunidade da utilização de novas tecnologias de rastreabilidade para agregação de valor com redução da assimetria e oportunismo, resultando na redução de custos de transação em toda a cadeia.

La convergencia de la Inteligencia Artificial (IA) y el Metaverso (Meta) abre oportunidades sin precedentes para la educación y el aprendizaje. Sin embargo, esta integración plantea importantes desafíos éticos, culturales y pedagógicos. Este artículo analiza tres perspectivas clave sobre el uso de la Inteligencia Artificial y el Metaverso en la educación, basadas en: "The Sentient Machine" escrito por Amir Husain; "Experience on Demand" desarrollado por Jeremy Bailenson; y "Teaching Machines" generado por Audrey Watters. Tomando como punto de partida la comparación y el contraste de estas tres visiones, se consideran las cuestiones involucradas de la manera más lateral posible, abordando las dimensiones ontológicas, axiológicas, etnográficas y epistemológicas de esta convergencia tecnológica. Se argumenta que si bien la IA y el Metaverso ofrecen un enorme potencial para la optimización de estrategias educativas, se requiere un enfoque holístico e inclusivo para materializar estos beneficios y evitar una profundización de la brecha digital. El concepto de "Salto Digital" se propone como una hoja de ruta para garantizar un desarrollo ético, equitativo y socialmente responsable de la educación mediada por IA y el Metaverso.

This Position Paper provides a consolidated overview of challenges and recommendations emerged by the discussions of Multi-Actor Platform (MAP) Alqueva’s members on land use and climate change. In the Alqueva region, this theme is one of the most important and current issues affecting the region. The reason for this is the vast land use change that happened in the region over the last 25 years. Where before the main land use was cereal production and pastures, nowadays land use has shifted to irrigated crops (such as olive groves, almond orchards and irrigated arable crops) over a surface of 120.000 ha. Change in land use impacted the society and region in various aspects, but one aspect that is crucial to bring to the discussing is climate change and how it can affect the current land use of the region. In addition, another burning question is what the region can do to mitigate and adapt to the reality of climate change.

The financial crisis in Sri Lanka is escalating day by day with grave consequences on public life. Suffering at community, family, and individual levels is immense. Comprehensive macroeconomic and microeconomic solutions are needed to solve the financial crisis. Further, drastic improvements are needed in the areas of governance, transparency, and accountability at all levels in order to put the country back on track. The hard truth is that suffering will be a characteristic feature of the lives of the people of Sri Lanka in the future. This paper examines three possible pathways that the emotional response to the financial crisis could take at the community, family, and individual levels. It argues that the natural fight or flight emotional pathways could lead to withdrawal or violence, and further aggravate suffering. An action-oriented solution-focused emotional pathway could not only minimize suffering, but also could promote well-being at the community, family, and individual levels. Keywords: Economic Crisis, Emotional Response, Compassion

This work aims to investigate the evolution of general average and insur-ance regulations and procedures in Genoa, as well as the ways in which they intersected, with a view to fully understanding the mechanisms for managing maritime trade risks from the late Middle Ages to the early modern age. To this end, by using two complementary sources – that is, general average claims and insurance policies – and by cross-referencing some available data sets dating to the period between the end of the sixteenth century and the be-ginning of the seventeenth century, we will attempt to determine how danger-ous the routes connecting the port of Genoa used to be. Finally, we will give some examples to demonstrate how both institutions available to maritime merchants were actually working and complementing each other. From this point of view, Genoa offers a unique vantage point, due to the important role played by its port and its highly dynamic and resourceful businessmen, who succeeded in developing cutting-edge financial instruments, the use of which would quickly spread from Genoa to all the other European markets

La presente contribución es un breve racconto analítico de la agenda tratada por Uruguay durante el bienio 2016-2017 período en que ocupara el asiendo rotativo en el Consejo de Seguridad de la ONU. Identifica los principales desafíos que el país enfrentó en materia de política exterior, así como también muestra los diferentes temas que permearon la agenda.ABSTRACTThe present contribution is a brief analytical account of the agenda dealt by Uruguay during the 2016-2017 biennium, when the country occupied the rotating seat in the UN Security Council. It identifies the main challenges the country faced in terms of foreign policy, as well as showing the different issues that permeated the agenda.Palabras clave: Uruguay. Consejo de Seguridad de la ONU. Política Exterior.Keywords: Uruguay. UN Security Council. Foreign Policy.Recebido em: 9 de Outubro de 2018 | Received on: Octubre 9, 2018DOI

Abstract The cement and lime industries are responsible for 8% of global CO2 emissions [1]. 35% of this CO2 share comes from fuel combustion to heat and decompose limestone to produce lime or “clinker” in an open atmosphere while the remaining 65% comes from limestone rock itself. Due to the new technology, high grades of both lime and CO2 were obtained faster and at much lower than conventional temperatures and CO2 was fully captured and utilized when using an HEVA reactor for limestone calcination. Clinker, a precursor of cement, was partly obtained at lower temperature when starting from HEVA lime and fine quartz after mechanochemical pretreatment.

Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems control temperature and humidity of working and living environments, they ensure adequate air changes and decrease airborne concentration of dusts and others particles. On the other hand, if not adequately managed, they can spread in the air a great variety of pollutants, which collect in dirty air ducts and air handling unit (pathogen microorganisms, allergens, dusts, fibres and chemical agents). The system can then become a source of risk for people living or working inside the building and for technicians employed in its cleaning and maintenance.  It is necessary to adopt all the preventive and protective measures needed to grant operators’ health and safety during ordinary or extra maintenance, with regard to every risks actually or potentially present. For companies involved in HVAC systems cleaning and sanitation, it is available a booklet published by INAIL which identifies health and safety risks of each working phase and suggest specific organizational, procedural and technical solutions, it also promote the adoption of correct equipment, adequate individual protection devices and safer behaviours.