Social Innovation in Olive Oil Cooperatives: A Case Study in Southern Spain

Recent years have witnessed a notable increase in the implementation of social innovation strategies for creating products with major social impact. Despite the lack of conceptual clarity still surrounding the term, social innovation, as a participatory research method, is finding scope for growth in agricultural cooperatives, whether in the areas of R&D and knowledge transfer, or in the commercialization of innovative products. Society has underscored the need for change in the environment and the implementation of new projects that help improve socioeconomic living conditions, promoting territorial development through social transformation. In the case of cooperativism in the olive oil industry in southern Spain, cooperatives are responsible for 70% of the oil produced there. As such, the actions carried out under their influence have a huge impact on the population and serve as tools that anchor people to their municipalities. This article analyses a case study from an olive oil cooperative, exploring the development of a social innovation project involving knowledge transfer and public awareness-raising through the label of an early harvest olive oil called “Primer Día de Cosecha” (First Day of Harvest). It also assesses the impact of the project on the population of the Andalusian municipality of Bailén (Jaén).

Opportunities for education in a changing climate: Themes from key informant interviews

How can education in Aotearoa New Zealand respond to climate change? This report, part of our wider education and climate change project, outlines findings from 17 in-depth interviews with individuals with a range of viewpoints about climate change and the role of education. Five priority perspectives are covered: youth (aged 16–25); educators; Māori; Pacific New Zealanders; and people with an academic, education system, or policy perspective. Key findings are: Education offers an important opportunity for diverse children and young people to engage in positive, solutions-focused climate learning and action. Interviewees shared local examples of effective climate change educational practice, but said it was often down to individual teachers, students, and schools choosing to make it a focus. Most interviewees said that climate change needs to be a more visible priority across the education system. The perspectives and examples shared suggest there is scope for growth and development in the way that schools and the wider education system in Aotearoa New Zealand respond to climate change. Interviewees’ experiences suggest that localised innovation and change is possible, particularly when young people and communities are informed about the causes and consequences of climate change, and are engaged with what they can do to make a difference. However, effective responses to climate change are affected by wider systems, societal and political structures, norms, and mindsets. Interviewee recommendations for schools, kura, and other learning settings include: Supporting diverse children and young people to develop their ideas and visions for a sustainable future, and to identify actions they can take to realise that future. Involving children and young people in collective and local approaches, and community-wide responses to climate change. Scaffolding learners to ensure that they were building key knowledge, as well as developing ethical thinking, systems thinking, and critical thinking. Focusing on new career opportunities and pathways in an economic transition to a low-carbon, changed climate future. Getting children and young people engaged and excited about what they can do, rather than disengaged, depressed, or feeling like they have no control of their future.

Scope for growth of cultivated Pacific and Gulf of California populations of lion's paw scallop Nodipecten subnodosus, and their reciprocal transplants

In the present work, the relative effects of the season (early vs. late summer), site (Gulf vs. Pacific study sites), the population of origin (Gulf vs. Pacific) and associated abiotic variables were determined in two geographically-separated Nodipecten subnodosus populations and their reciprocal transplants, through the scope for growth (SFG) and net growth efficiency (K2) using a portable open-flow system. Results indicate that both energy acquisition and expenditure were significantly affected by season, site, and population factors. Scallop energy acquisition and growth efficiency were highest during the earlier, cooler part of the summer and higher at the Pacific site where food availability was highest. Significantly higher respiration rates were measured for the Pacific scallop population, leading to significantly lower net growth efficiency than scallops of Gulf origin, which indicates a physiological advantage for Gulf scallops during the suboptimal growth conditions present during summer months on both coasts of the Baja California peninsula. It may have important implications for aquaculture enterprises in this region, and may also confirm the genetic divergence between these two geographically separated populations. The advantages of the open-flow system for in situ ecophysiological studies in aquatic organisms are discussed.

Thermal effect on energetic physiology in the ark shell Scapharca subcrenata

Background: Clams inhabiting temperate coastal zones are affected not only by seasonal thermal variation, but also by changes in the prevailing thermal regime of their habitats. Understanding the physiological processes required for adjusting the energy balance of the ark shell Scapharca subcrenata to varying thermal conditions is pivotal for predicting its growth and further phenology, and ultimately promoting successful aquaculture activity. Thermal effects on the physiological processes and the combined energetic physiology at the organism level of S. subcrenata were assessed over a temperature range corresponding to field conditions (3–28 °C). Results: Physiological rates of S. subcrenata were well correlated with its dry tissue weight, formalizing allometric relationships. Extremely low weight exponent values for filtration rate and metabolic rate were detected at lower (3–8 °C) compared to higher (8–28 °C) temperatures. In addition to marked reductions at 3 °C, weight exponents were identical and intercept estimates increased progressively with rising temperature over the temperature range (8–28 °C). Identical weight exponents and increasing intercept estimates for both feces production and excretion rates across the experimental temperatures indicated that energy losses by egestion and excretion increased gradually with rising temperature. Scope for growth and net growth efficiency showed relatively constant and positive values at 8–23 °C, suggesting an optimal temperature range for production, but dropped drastically to negative values at 3 and 28 °C, indicating thermal (both cold and heat) stress. The Q10 values revealed that the metabolic and filtration rates are more sensitive at 23–28 and 3–8 °C, respectively. Conclusions: Allometric size-scaling of physiological rates in S. subcrenata highlights species-specific responses to changes in temperature. The observed weight exponents and intercept estimates for filtration and metabolic rates reveal the variation of the thermal effects according to size as well as an incapability of acclimation to varying temperatures. Reversed thermal sensitivities in both components confirm that energy acquisition by feeding does not offset the metabolic energy cost outside the optimal thermal range. Our empirical analysis allowed further understanding of the seasonal energy dynamism and biological cycle of S. subcrenata in temperate habitats subject to highly variable thermal regimes.

Measuring Advertising Expenditure Effects on the Nigerian Economy

This study explores relationships between annual advertising expenditure and major macroeconomic variables in Nigeria. Advertising is sometimes viewed as a concern of business units only not worth being researched at macroeconomic level. This nature has been mostly studied on advertising industries in the advanced economies. Due to a lack of high frequency time series data on advertising expenditure in the developing economies, this work has been limited to an exploratory study using the multiple regression and correlation analysis. The study covers the period of 2001 to 2018. Its findings show that advertising has positive relationship with GDP and savings. This study provides further evidence on the cyclical nature of advertising that moves with the state of the economy. During the economic slowdown in the period of 2015 to 2017, Nigeria advertising expenditure continued to fall. In 2013, the period with the highest advertising revenue in the study, the ratio of advertising expenditure as percentage of GDP accounted for 0.061%, which was below 0.2%, a very negligible number indicating more scope for growth in the market.

Synthesis of New 4-Chloro-6-Methylpyrimidin-2-yl-Aminophosphonates as Potential DU145 and A549 Cancer Cell Inhibitors

: A series of new α-aminophosphonates containing potential anticancer active 4-chloro-6- methylpyrimidin-2-amino pharmacophore were synthesized. Background: α-Aminophosphonates are of growing interest to the researchers due to their biological activities. Besides aminophosphoryl functionality, which is responsible for the vital activity, incorporation of a captivating pharmacophore on it will definitely enrich its activity. Objective: Erstwhile many of the reported α-aminophosphonates impregnated with bioactive heterocycles like quinazoline, chromene, pyrazole, furan and thiophene were used as anticancer drugs, and we are intended to enhance the anticancer potentiality of α-aminophosphonates by substituting a new 4-chloro-6-methylpyrimidin-2-yl group into its structure, specifically on nitrogen atom. Methods: Title compounds were synthesized by Kabachnik-Fields reaction by using sulfated Titania, a solid acid catalyst that is encompassed with high density of Lewis acidic reaction sites. The series of synthesized compounds were screened for in vitro anti-cancer activity and their ADMET, QSAR and drug properties studied. Results: Structures of all the title compounds synthesized in high yields were confirmed by spectral & elemental analyses. Their anti-cancer screening studies on various cell lines and evaluation of other properties revealed their potentiality towards the inhibition of growth of DU145 & A549 cell lines. Conclusion: The substitution of 4-chloro-6-methylpyrimidin-2-amino moiety on to the amino functionality of the α-aminophosphonates is a critical task invariably due to the substitutions that are located on α-carbon. As such, this substitution had increased the scope for growth inhibition of DU145 and A549 cancer cells.

Robotics for Education

This chapter focuses on the applications of robotics in the field of education. It discusses the scope for growth and improvement in the models of the robots currently in use. It deals with the current scenario regarding the implementation of a thought that can help in making the future of learning efficient, effective, and interesting. It also allows insight on the role of teachers in integrating this concept in the classrooms. It describes the future of merging AI in the regular classroom to make the process of teaching and learning easier and enjoyable.

Physiological differences between wild and cultured bivalves in Prince Edward Island, Canada

Bivalve culture in Canada increased by 25% from 2000 to 2016. In Prince Edward Island (PEI), bivalves are cultivated in bays and estuaries and there is limited space for further aquaculture expansion. Thus, there is merit in developing a numerical model determining the abundance of bivalve populations in relation to their food availability in order to assess the carrying capacity of shellfish growing areas. This modelling will take into account the different bivalve species present in the bay, as the cultivated Mytilus edulis and Crassostrea virginica and wild, M. edulis, C. virginica, Mya arenaria and Mercenaria mercenaria. As a first step toward a modelling goal, this study compared the physiological differences of the 6 bivalve groups. Three physiological parameters were measured: clearance rate, oxygen consumption and assimilation to determine the energy budget or scope for growth (SFG). These measurements were carried out on individuals contained in metabolic chamber at summer and autumn temperatures (20 and 8 °C, respectively). Our results show that M. edulis is best adapted to these temperature in PEI as it maintains high SFG at both temperatures. For C. virginica and M. arenaria, high physiological parameters under summer conditions were observed, followed by a decrease in autumn. For M. mercenaria rates were low at both temperatures indicating a persistently low growth potential. These results demonstrate the adaptive physiological capacity of each species and provide insight into the underlying reasons some species such as C. virginica and M. mercenaria are at their northern distribution limit in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Finally, no differences in the SFG between cultivated and wild bivalves have been observed. These results are discussed within the context of estimating the impact of each bivalve group in bays environment from PEI and particularly on food availability.