Abstract: Concerns have been raised that declining energy return on energy investment (EROI) from fossil fuels, and low levels of EROI for alternative energy sources, could constrain the ability of national economies to continue to deliver economic growth and improvements in social wellbeing while undertaking a low-carbon transition. However, in order to test these concerns on a national scale, there is a conceptual and methodological gap in relation to calculating a national-level EROI and analysing its policy implications. We address this by developing a novel application of an Input-Output methodology to calculate a national-level indirect energy investment, one of the components needed for calculating a national-level EROI. This is a mixed physical and monetary approach using Multi-Regional Input-Output data and an energy extension. We discuss some conceptual and methodological issues relating to defining EROI for a national economy, and describe in detail the methodology and data requirements for the approach. We obtain initial results for the UK for the period 1997–2012, which show that the country’s EROI has been declining since the beginning of the 21st Century. We discuss the policy relevance of measuring national-level EROI and propose avenues for future research. Resumen: La tasa de retorno energética (TRE) de combustibles fósiles ha estado disminuyendo, al mismo tiempo que la TRE de fuentes de energía renovables permanece baja. Esto es preocupante, pues podría limitar la habilidad de las economías nacionales de continuar proveyendo crecimiento económico y mejoras en bienestar social, al mismo tiempo de pasan por una transición energética. Sin embargo, para poder corroborar estas preocupaciones, existe una brecha conceptual y metodológica en cuanto a la computación de la TRE a nivel nacional y sus implicaciones para la política energética. Abordamos esto a través del desarrollo de una nueva aplicación de la metodología Insumo-Producto para calcular inversión energética indirecta, uno de los componentes necesarios para calcular la TRE a nivel nacional. Esta es una aproximación mixta (física y monetaria), utilizando datos Insumo-Producto Multi-Regionales y una extensión energética. Discutimos algunos de los problemas conceptuales y metodológicos alrededor de una definición de la TRE para una economía nacional, y describimos en detalle la metodología y los requerimientos de datos para esta aproximación. Obtenemos resultados iniciales para el Reino Unido durante el período 1997-2012, los cuales muestran que la TRE del país ha estado disminuyendo desde comienzos del siglo XXI. Discutimos las implicaciones de política y proponemos avenidas futuras de investigación.

Abstract: Companies are increasingly faced with demands for access to information which until quite recently was considered to fall under business (confidential) secrets and out of bounds for public access. In the environmental sector, however, the Aarhus convention (international, regional law) was one of the first to kick-start discussion on bringing privately held information under public scrutiny, in particular where these companies can be considered to be fulfilling ‘public’ duties, such as water and energy providers. At the EU level, the directives on access to environmental information contain provisions on privately held data. Moreover, the overall transparency Directives and Regulations are being used increasingly to force private companies to hand over data with respect to lobbying activities, scientific reports, risk assessment etc., where this information is held by EU Institutions or by Member States authorities. The perceived change towards a more transparent governance model on environmental and energy matters raises several legal issues that need to be promptly addressed. The paper examines the current provisions that support access to environmental information held by the private sector from an international and European perspective in order to identify tensions between the right of the people to know and other legitimate rights such as business confidentiality and intellectual property rights and the available tools to address them. Resumen: Las corporaciones han sido objeto de crecientes solicitudes de acceso a información que hasta tiempos recientes estaba considerada información confidencial de las empresas y fuera del alcance para el público. Sin embargo, en el sector ambiental, la Convención de Aarhus (derecho internacional/regional) fue una de las primeras en abrir el debate sobre el acceso público a la información en manos del sector privado, especialmente cuando estas entidades desarrollan funciones públicas como el suministro de agua y energía. A nivel de la Unión Europea, las Directivas sobre acceso a la información ambiental contienen disposiciones sobre información del sector privado, e incluso, las directivas y regulaciones generales sobre transparencia están siendo utilizadas cada vez más para obligar a las entidades privadas a entregar información sobre actividades de lobby, reportes científicos, análisis de riesgos etc. cuando esta información está en manos de las instituciones de la UE o autoridades de los Estados Parte. El cambio que se percibe hacia un modelo de gobernabilidad más transparente en materia de ambiente y energía presenta varias cuestiones legales que deben ser tratadas con prontitud. El artículo examina las disposiciones actuales en las que se basa el derecho de acceso a la información ambiental en manos del sector privado desde una perspectiva de derecho internacional y europeo con el fin de identificar posibles tensiones entre el derecho a la información y otros intereses legítimos como la confidencialidad industrial y los derechos de la propiedad intelectual y las herramientas disponibles para resolverlos.

This article deals with the process of adopting international drug treaties in confor¬mity with the Colombian legal system. International law establishes that substances that are considered illicit, including coca leaf, have legal uses exclusively for medical or scientific purposes. Consequently, the chewing of coca leaf by indigenous com¬munities in the Andean States is mandated to disappear. The Colombian state has signed and ratified these international treaties, and has an obligation to respect its international commitments. Being a pluricultural nation with two formal and equal legal systems (indigenous and ordinary jurisdiction) and with the increased partici¬pation of native communities in Colombian politics, the task of implementing this obligation gives rise to a legal conundrum. The Colombian state faces two mutually exclusive obligations: One to its international commitments and another to respect the rights of indigenous communities.

The Pseudomonas genus is a big problem mainly for the poultry food industry. The shelf life of chicken carcasses stored under refrigeration is limited by the appearance of undesirable odors and sliminess surface generated primarily by Gram negative bacteria. Due to the subsequent emergence of resistant bacteria, is necessary proving new alternatives as guaranty the microbiological quality of foods and human health. Bacteriophages or phages are viruses of bacteria that use resources of bacteria for their replication and killing bacteria “naturally”, showing them as a potential tool for bacteria biocontrol in food industry. In this study, 11 bacteriophages were isolated from the exudate product of defrost of chicken carcasses using as host strains Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 25619) and Pseudomonas fluorescens (ATCC 13525). This study also aimed at the purification, quantification and morphological and molecular characterization of phages (RFLP). Bacteriophage can be found in all types of environments, it was possible to perform isolation and purification and achieve concentrations of 1011 PFU/ml, which demonstrated a broad spectrum of action on different bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae. Bacteriophages were classified as belonging to the order of Caudovirales and families Podoviridae and Myoviridae. Bacteriophages showed similar morphology, but some showed different genetic profiles. Bacteriophagescan be found in the chicken carcasses and the fact that they are regulators of bacterial growth letting their use as antimicrobial agents to prevent spoilage bacteriaas P. fluorescens and pathogens as P. aeruginosaas evidenced in this study. So, bacteriophage with specificity for Pseudomonascan be an interesting instrument for promoting the expansion of the shelf life of chicken products due to their ability to infect this microorganism.

Abstract: By means of an action-research approach, this paper is an account of a comprehensive academic experience. It was performed and assesed using a sample of 344 participants, distributed in 12 different groups who were part of the bachelor degree program in Industrial Engineering at a Colombian university. To this end, a set of pedagogical practices, based mainly on teaching cases supported by ICT tools was implemented. This study includes a summary of each case developed, a description of their implementation and their assessment process and results. Outcomes indicate that according to student’s perceptions, there is a clear superiority of these initiatives over traditional teaching techniques based on conventional lectures, even after six months of the experience. It contributes by encouraging the transfer of this knowledge into some other contexts to stimulate further development and to help in the creation of better educational processes for future professionals in engineering, as well as in other professions. Resumen: Este trabajo documenta una amplia experiencia académica que, mediante un enfoque de investigación-acción, se completó con una muestra de 344 participantes, distribuidos en 12 grupos diferentes que formaban parte del programa en Ingeniería Industrial de una universidad colombiana. Para ello, se implementó un conjunto de prácticas pedagógicas, basadas principalmente en casos de enseñanza apoyados por herramientas TIC. Este estudio incluye un resumen de cada caso desarrollado, una descripción de su implementación y su proceso de evaluación y resultados. Los resultados indican que, según las percepciones de los estudiantes, existe una clara superioridad de estas iniciativas sobre las técnicas de enseñanza tradicionales basadas en clases convencionales, incluso después de seis meses de experiencia. Contribuye a fomentar la transferencia de este conocimiento a otros contextos, con el fin de estimular su desarrollo y a desarrollar mejores procesos educativos para futuros profesionales en ingeniería, así como en otras profesiones.

Abstract: Dengue is a widely spread vector-borne disease. Dengue cases in the Americas have increased over the last few decades, affecting various urban spaces throughout these continents, including the tourism-oriented city of Girardot, Colombia. Interactions among mosquitoes, pathogens and humans have recently been examined using different temporal and spatial scales in attempts to determine the roles that social and ecological systems play in dengue transmission. The current work characterizes the spatial and temporal behaviours of dengue in Girardot and discusses the potential territorial dynamics related to the distribution of this disease. Methods: Based on officially reported dengue cases (2012–2015) corresponding to epidemic (2013) and inter-epidemic years (2012, 2014, 2015), space (Getis-Ord index) and space-time (Kulldorff’s scan statistics) analyses were performed. Results: Geocoded dengue cases (n = 2027) were slightly overrepresented by men (52.1%). As expected, the cases were concentrated in the 0- to 15-year-old age group according to the actual trends of Colombia. The incidence rates of dengue during the rainy and dry seasons as well as those for individual years (2012, 2013 and 2014) were significant using the global Getis-Ord index. Local clusters shifted across seasons and years; nevertheless, the incidence rates clustered towards the southwest region of the city under different residential conditions. Space-time clusters shifted from the northeast to the southwest of the city (2012–2014). These clusters represented only 4.25% of the total cases over the same period (n = 1623). A general trend was observed, in which dengue cases increased during the dry seasons, especially between December and February. Conclusions: Despite study limitations related to official dengue records and available fine-scale demographic information, the spatial analysis results were promising from a geography of health perspective. Dengue did not show linear association with poverty or with vulnerable peripheral spaces in intra-urban settings, supporting the idea that the pathogenic complex of dengue is driven by different factors. A coordinated collaboration of epidemiological, public health and social science expertise is needed to assess the effect of “place” from a relational perspective in which geography has an important role to play. Resumen: El dengue es una enfermedad trasmitida por vectores ampliamente distribuida. En las últimas décadas el dengue ha aumentado en América, afectando diferentes espacios urbanos del continente incluyendo la ciudad turística de Girardot, Colombia. La interacción entre mosquitos, patógenos y humanos se ha examinado usando diferentes escalas espaciales y temporales para determinar la función que tienen los sistemas sociales y ecológicos en la transmisión del dengue. Este trabajo caracteriza el comportamiento espacial y temporal del dengue en Girardot y discute el potencial que tienen las dinámicas territoriales en la distribución de esta enfermedad. Métodos: Se realizaron análisis espaciales (Índice Getis-Ord) y espaciotemporales (Estadística de Kulldorff) utilizando los reportes oficiales de casos de dengue (2012-2015), los cuales corresponden a periodos epidémicos (2013) e interepidémicos (2012, 2014, 2015). Resultados: Dentro de los casos georreferenciados (n = 2027) hubo una representación ligeramente mayor de hombres (52.1%). Según lo esperado, de acuerdo a las tendencias actuales en Colombia, los casos se concentraron en la población de 0 a 15 años. El índice de Getis-Ord fue significativo para las tasas de incidencia de dengue en periodo de lluvia y periodo de sequía, al igual que para los años de estudio (2012, 2013 and 2014). Se identificaron conglomerados locales en toda la ciudad, sin embargo, estos se agruparon en la parte suroeste de la ciudad en diferentes condiciones residenciales. Los conglomerados espaciotemporales se desplazaron del noreste hacia el suroeste de la ciudad (2012–2014). Estos conglomerados espaciotemporales representan solo el 4.25% del total de casos del periodo (n = 1623). Se identificó una tendencia general de aumento de casos durante la época de sequía, especialmente entre diciembre y febrero. Conclusiones: A pesar de las limitaciones relacionadas a los registros oficiales de casos de dengue y la información demográfica disponible, los resultados fueron promisorios desde la perspectiva de la geografía de la salud. El dengue no mostró una relación lineal con la pobreza o con espacios periféricos vulnerables en espacios intraurbanos. Esto apoya la idea que el complejo patogénico del dengue comprende múltiples factores. Se requiere de una colaboración coordinada entre la epidemiología, la salud pública y las ciencias sociales para evaluar el efecto que tiene el “lugar” desde una perspectiva relacional donde la geografía tiene un rol importante a desempeñar.

Abstract: Governments around the world are constantly dealing with many issues regarding energy policies. Discussions on adaptability of the energy resources, their predictability and economic feasibility as well as their impact on the environment are topics of the utmost importance in every agenda. That said, depending on the level of liberalisation, the States will intervene in the energy sector as much as needed, either as an active participant or as regulator and supervisor of the market, but the obligation of security of supply will remain with it. As will be seen, the diversification of the energy sources is fundamental to strengthen the energy sector, thus avoiding shortages and blackouts. As the Colombian case will be exposed, the purpose of this paper is aimed at understanding the crucial role of diversification, the statistics regarding reliance on hydropower energy and the consequences of that reliance. Specialised doctrine and reports on the current situation of the energy sector in Colombia are provided, as well as complete data about the global and local energy matrix. The foregoing will lead to conclude that reliance on hydropower energy is one of the problems currently faced by Colombia, but many structural modifications are to be applied to create an adaptable and sustainable energy sector. Resumen: Los gobiernos de todo el mundo se enfrentan constantemente a muchos problemas relacionados con las políticas energéticas. Las discusiones sobre la adaptabilidad de los recursos energéticos, su previsibilidad y viabilidad económica, así como su impacto en el medio ambiente son temas de la mayor importancia en cada agenda. Dicho esto, dependiendo del nivel de liberalización, los Estados intervendrán en el sector energético tanto como sea necesario, ya sea como participantes activos o como reguladores y supervisores del mercado, pero la obligación de la seguridad del suministro se mantendrá. Como se verá, la diversificación de las fuentes de energía es fundamental para fortalecer el sector energético, evitando así escasez y apagones. Como se expondrá en el caso colombiano, el objetivo de este documento es comprender el papel crucial de la diversificación, las estadísticas sobre la dependencia de la energía hidroeléctrica y las consecuencias de esa dependencia. Se proveen doctrinas e informes especializados sobre la situación actual del sector energético en Colombia, así como datos completos sobre la matriz energética global y local. Lo anterior llevará a concluir que la dependencia de la energía hidroeléctrica es uno de los problemas que actualmente enfrenta Colombia, pero se deben aplicar muchas modificaciones estructurales para crear un sector energético adaptable y sostenible.

Detection of insider threats relies on monitoring individuals and their interactions with organizational resources. Identification of anomalous insiders typically relies on supervised learning models that use labeled data. However, such labeled data is not easily obtainable. The labeled data that does exist is also limited by current insider threat detection methods and undetected insiders would not be included. These models also inherently assume that the insider threat is not rapidly evolving between model generation and use of the model in detection. Yet there is a large body of research that illustrates that the insider threat changes significantly after some types of precipitating events, such as layoffs, significant restructuring, and plant or facility closure. To capture this temporal evolution of user-system interactions, we use an unsupervised learning framework to evaluate whether potential insider threat events are triggered following precipitating events. The analysis leverages a bipartite graph of user and system interactions. The approach shows a clear correlation between precipitating events and the number of apparent anomalies. The results of our empirical analysis show a clear shift in behaviors after events which have previously been shown to increase insider activity, specifically precipitating events. We argue that this metadata about the level of insider threat behaviors validates the potential of the approach. We apply our method to a dataset that comprises interactions between engineers and software components in an enterprise version control system spanning more than 22 years. We use this unlabeled dataset and automatically detect statistically significant events. We show that there is statistically significant evidence that a subset of users diversify their committing behavior after precipitating events have been announced. Although these findings do not constitute detection of insider threat events per se, they do identify patterns of potentially malicious high-risk insider behavior. They reinforce the idea that insider operations can be motivated by the insiders' environment. Our proposed framework outperforms algorithms based on naive random approaches and algorithms using volume dependent statistics. This graph mining technique has potential for early detection of insider threat behavior in user-system interactions independent of the volume of interactions. The proposed method also enables organizations without a corpus of identified insider threats to train its own anomaly detection system.

AlN thin films were grown in a N2 atmosphere onto a Si/Si3N4 substrate by pulsed laser ablation. We have varied the substrate temperature for the thin film growth, using X-ray Reflectometry (XRR) analysis, we have characterized the thickness and density of the thin layer and the interface roughness from the X-ray reflectivity profiles. Experimental data showed that the root-mean-square roughness was in the range of 0.3 nm. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was employed to characterize the chemical composition of the films. These measurements detected carbon and oxygen contamination at the surface. In the high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy Al2p data, binding energies for Al-N and Al-O species were identified but no Al-Al species were present. In the N1s data, N-O species were not detected, but chemically bonded O was present in the films as Al-O species. Furthermore the value of optical energy gap, Eg was about 5.3 (± 0.1) eV. The composition varied with process conditions, and the nitrogen content decreased in AlN films processed above 500°C.

Some authors argue that Value Engineering (VE) is just an audit exercise carried out over the work of planners and designers, and that the large success it has had in organizations like the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in the USA is just a proof that engineers are doing things wrong from the outset (Winch, 2002). In many cases, VE studies are executed just in a reactive manner when project managers face budget overruns and schedule delays. However, VE has shown ever more effective when it is fully integrated into the organization’s project delivery framework. Nonetheless, deciding upon the best timing for executing VE studies still remains controversial. The timing is a critical factor for the effectiveness of VE studies and this article attempts to shed light on this issue