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La información por parte de los organismos públicos en el ámbito de la responsabilidad social (rs) es necesaria para legitimar sus actuaciones y dar a conocer a sus grupos de interés cómo están respondiendo a sus demandas. Las páginas web son en este mundo globalizado e informatizado un medio de comunicación adecuado y accesible. En este contexto, el objetivo del trabajo es analizar la información relacionada con la responsabilidad social que proporcionan los gobiernos locales europeos en sus páginas web y, en concreto, estudiar las corporaciones de las principales ciudades de los países nórdicos. Además se analizará si se pueden observar algunas pautas de comportamiento similares aplicando el análisis de conglomerados. Los resultados obtenidos permiten conocer el nivel de divulgación que estos países dan a la información relacionada con su comportamiento socialmente responsable y cuáles son los principales temas a los que prestan mayor atención. Public agencies should inform about their behavior in the space of the social responsibility not only to legitimate their existence but also to inform their stakeholders how they are responding to their demands. Web sites are a communication medium appropriate and accessible in this globalized and computerized world. In this context, the object of this investigation is to analyze the information related with the social responsibility that European town councils provide in their web pages, particularly of the main Nordic countries town councils. In addition, it will be analyzed if we can observe some similar guidelines of behavior applying the analysis cluster. The obtained results will allow to know the treatment that these countries give to the information related to socially responsible behavior and what are the main variables they are more responsive to. Estudio llevado a cabo con la ayuda de un proyecto de investigación financiado por la Junta de Andalucía (Ref. P09-SEJ-5395) y la de dos proyectos del Plan Nacional de Investigación (nos. ECO2010- 17463-ECON y ECO2010-20522-ECON).

La información por parte de los organismos públicos en el ámbito de la responsabilidad social (rs) es necesaria para legitimar sus actuaciones y dar a conocer a sus grupos de interés cómo están respondiendo a sus demandas. Las páginas web son en este mundo globalizado e informatizado un medio de comunicación adecuado y accesible. En este contexto, el objetivo del trabajo es analizar la información relacionada con la responsabilidad social que proporcionan los gobiernos locales europeos en sus páginas web y, en concreto, estudiar las corporaciones de las principales ciudades de los países nórdicos. Además se analizará si se pueden observar algunas pautas de comportamiento similares aplicando el análisis de conglomerados. Los resultados obtenidos permiten conocer el nivel de divulgación que estos países dan a la información relacionada con su comportamiento socialmente responsable y cuáles son los principales temas a los que prestan mayor atención. Public agencies should inform about their behavior in the space of the social responsibility not only to legitimate their existence but also to inform their stakeholders how they are responding to their demands. Web sites are a communication medium appropriate and accessible in this globalized and computerized world. In this context, the object of this investigation is to analyze the information related with the social responsibility that European town councils provide in their web pages, particularly of the main Nordic countries town councils. In addition, it will be analyzed if we can observe some similar guidelines of behavior applying the analysis cluster. The obtained results will allow to know the treatment that these countries give to the information related to socially responsible behavior and what are the main variables they are more responsive to. Estudio llevado a cabo con la ayuda de un proyecto de investigación financiado por la Junta de Andalucía (Ref. P09-SEJ-5395) y la de dos proyectos del Plan Nacional de Investigación (nos. ECO2010- 17463-ECON y ECO2010-20522-ECON).

This works presents the design of wireless power transfer systems that can transfer power through materials such as stainless steel, aluminum, carbon fiber, and fiberglass. Wireless power transfer research has been limited to through-air applications, focusing on short distances and high efficiencies. However, complex scenarios require specific design criteria to provide the advantages of wireless power transfer for critical applications. Taking this into consideration, this work presents the extensive research towards enabling wireless power transfer systems for unconventional barriers. In the first chapter a new approach is taken towards the design of compact and embedded wireless power transfer solutions. A miniature coil is designed to transfer power through a 1 mm thick aluminum metal plate. The results are unprecedented, P_rx=100 mW, considering that through metal power transfer had only being demonstrated using large diameter coils. In addition to that, the metal barrier used is aluminum, a high conductivity material. This is important because traditional research focused on less conductive material such as stainless steel or tin. In the next chapter, we demonstrated a wireless power and data transfer system that uses a miniature coil with a size of 15 mm × 13 mm × 6 mm. Our system demonstrated that not only power but data could be transferred through an aluminum barrier using the same coil for power and data transmission. The maximum coil-to-coil power transfer efficiency is 2.4%, and the maximum harvested power is 440 mW operating at 2 kHz. Additionally, our system demonstrated that power can be harvested in variety of materials of different thicknesses. The next chapter presents a breakthrough in the field of wireless power transfer through metal by enabling long distance wireless power transfer. A large portion of the technologies for wireless power transfer are limited to short operation distances, distances around 1-10 millimeters to less than 20 cm. The operation distances are even shorter for the case of through metal wireless power transfer. For through metal wireless power transfer, the high losses from the metal barrier require short operation distances less than 1 mm, in order to transfer some energy through the metal barrier. On the contrary, our system uses a custom designed coil to transfer energy to a receiving coil enclosed in a 1-mm thick aluminum metal box up to a distance of 1m. The maximum AC harvested power was 231 μW when the transmitted power is only 6.16 W. The next chapter presents a long range through metal wireless power transfer and communication system. The system demonstrated that power can be harvested inside a metal box, and that data can be transferred bidirectionally between the nodes. Operating at 103 kHz, a maximum harvested power of 408 μW AC and 96 μW DC is achieved, with bidirectional communication at a rate of 1.2 kbps. The last chapter presents the design of a wireless power transfer systems that can operate through composite materials. The work analyses the effect of different materials and presents a system that can operate wirelessly through carbon fiber and fiberglass. Finally, conclusions present the results of this research and the future perspectives in the field.

This works presents the design of wireless power transfer systems that can transfer power through materials such as stainless steel, aluminum, carbon fiber, and fiberglass. Wireless power transfer research has been limited to through-air applications, focusing on short distances and high efficiencies. However, complex scenarios require specific design criteria to provide the advantages of wireless power transfer for critical applications. Taking this into consideration, this work presents the extensive research towards enabling wireless power transfer systems for unconventional barriers. In the first chapter a new approach is taken towards the design of compact and embedded wireless power transfer solutions. A miniature coil is designed to transfer power through a 1 mm thick aluminum metal plate. The results are unprecedented, P_rx=100 mW, considering that through metal power transfer had only being demonstrated using large diameter coils. In addition to that, the metal barrier used is aluminum, a high conductivity material. This is important because traditional research focused on less conductive material such as stainless steel or tin. In the next chapter, we demonstrated a wireless power and data transfer system that uses a miniature coil with a size of 15 mm × 13 mm × 6 mm. Our system demonstrated that not only power but data could be transferred through an aluminum barrier using the same coil for power and data transmission. The maximum coil-to-coil power transfer efficiency is 2.4%, and the maximum harvested power is 440 mW operating at 2 kHz. Additionally, our system demonstrated that power can be harvested in variety of materials of different thicknesses. The next chapter presents a breakthrough in the field of wireless power transfer through metal by enabling long distance wireless power transfer. A large portion of the technologies for wireless power transfer are limited to short operation distances, distances around 1-10 millimeters to less than 20 cm. The operation distances are even shorter for the case of through metal wireless power transfer. For through metal wireless power transfer, the high losses from the metal barrier require short operation distances less than 1 mm, in order to transfer some energy through the metal barrier. On the contrary, our system uses a custom designed coil to transfer energy to a receiving coil enclosed in a 1-mm thick aluminum metal box up to a distance of 1m. The maximum AC harvested power was 231 μW when the transmitted power is only 6.16 W. The next chapter presents a long range through metal wireless power transfer and communication system. The system demonstrated that power can be harvested inside a metal box, and that data can be transferred bidirectionally between the nodes. Operating at 103 kHz, a maximum harvested power of 408 μW AC and 96 μW DC is achieved, with bidirectional communication at a rate of 1.2 kbps. The last chapter presents the design of a wireless power transfer systems that can operate through composite materials. The work analyses the effect of different materials and presents a system that can operate wirelessly through carbon fiber and fiberglass. Finally, conclusions present the results of this research and the future perspectives in the field.

This report is a policy briefing containing the main findings of the PhD project Co-Creation of Sustainability-Oriented Innovations (SOIs) in Tourism. This project was conducted in close partnership with the Barcelona City Council to co-design institutional innovations to address sustainability challenges in the city by widely engaging stakeholders in a participatory process. To enable an open participatory process, the project was nested in the Consell de Turisme i Ciutat, which gathers key public, private and civil society organizations to discuss the main tourism development issues in the city of Barcelona. The project gathers data by conducting individual interviews, and a series of stakeholder workshops to better understand the complexity of designing SOIs collectively. Amongst the main findings, this report identifies how individual and collective conceptual nuances of innovation and sustainability affect the stakeholders' ability to embark on sustainability innovations in tourism. Further, it describes collective objectives, drivers and barriers that stakeholders identified when developing SOIs. The report also offers an analysis of current tourism specific and non-tourism SOIs in Barcelona and potential ways in which these existing SOIs could be leveraged to facilitate systemic change. One of the key findings of the study is a collection of co-created SOIs by the stakeholders, which are analysed in terms of their sustainability impact and their type of innovation. These SOIs include a wide range of policy actions and interventions related to management, product development and marketing, education, incentives and monitoring and evaluation. Amongst these SOIs, during the project, the stakeholders decided to focus on expanding on four SOIs which could have a greater potential to create systemic change in the sustainable development of the city and thus in the tourism sector. These four SOIs are presented in this report as one-page business plans to facilitate its potential application. Finally, the study provides a series of recommendations to enhance collaboration and governance mechanisms to allow SOIs to thrive as collective actions that are powered by legitimacy, trust and a fair distribution of power. In this line, to empower stakeholders to utilize the findings of this project the report introduces the idea of creating a Sustainability Innovation LivingLab.

This report is a policy briefing containing the main findings of the PhD project Co-Creation of Sustainability-Oriented Innovations (SOIs) in Tourism. This project was conducted in close partnership with the Barcelona City Council to co-design institutional innovations to address sustainability challenges in the city by widely engaging stakeholders in a participatory process. To enable an open participatory process, the project was nested in the Consell de Turisme i Ciutat, which gathers key public, private and civil society organizations to discuss the main tourism development issues in the city of Barcelona. The project gathers data by conducting individual interviews, and a series of stakeholder workshops to better understand the complexity of designing SOIs collectively. Amongst the main findings, this report identifies how individual and collective conceptual nuances of innovation and sustainability affect the stakeholders' ability to embark on sustainability innovations in tourism. Further, it describes collective objectives, drivers and barriers that stakeholders identified when developing SOIs. The report also offers an analysis of current tourism specific and non-tourism SOIs in Barcelona and potential ways in which these existing SOIs could be leveraged to facilitate systemic change. One of the key findings of the study is a collection of co-created SOIs by the stakeholders, which are analysed in terms of their sustainability impact and their type of innovation. These SOIs include a wide range of policy actions and interventions related to management, product development and marketing, education, incentives and monitoring and evaluation. Amongst these SOIs, during the project, the stakeholders decided to focus on expanding on four SOIs which could have a greater potential to create systemic change in the sustainable development of the city and thus in the tourism sector. These four SOIs are presented in this report as one-page business plans to facilitate its potential application. Finally, the study provides a series of recommendations to enhance collaboration and governance mechanisms to allow SOIs to thrive as collective actions that are powered by legitimacy, trust and a fair distribution of power. In this line, to empower stakeholders to utilize the findings of this project the report introduces the idea of creating a Sustainability Innovation LivingLab.

Sweeping changes are beginning to transform energy scenarios around the world. The gas revolution, a renaissance in petroleum technology and exploration, and a chaotic but powerful movement toward the goal of low-carbon economies are three of the principal energy trends currently interacting with structural changes in the geo-economics of the Atlantic world to present new perspectives and opportunitiesfor the diverse actors in the ‘Atlantic Basin’. This article explores how changes in the energy landscape are contributing to a reassessment of the strategic horizon. The potential impacts of the shale revolution, deep-offshore oil, biofuels and other modern renewable energies on the geopolitics of the Atlantic Basin will be assessed, and the hypothesis that an Atlantic Basin energy system is now taking shape will be evaluated, along with an analysis of anticipated impacts.

Sweeping changes are beginning to transform energy scenarios around the world. The gas revolution, a renaissance in petroleum technology and exploration, and a chaotic but powerful movement toward the goal of low-carbon economies are three of the principal energy trends currently interacting with structural changes in the geo-economics of the Atlantic world to present new perspectives and opportunitiesfor the diverse actors in the ‘Atlantic Basin’. This article explores how changes in the energy landscape are contributing to a reassessment of the strategic horizon. The potential impacts of the shale revolution, deep-offshore oil, biofuels and other modern renewable energies on the geopolitics of the Atlantic Basin will be assessed, and the hypothesis that an Atlantic Basin energy system is now taking shape will be evaluated, along with an analysis of anticipated impacts.

The amount of energy and food consumed in Puerto Rico is more indicative of a developed nation than one than is underdeveloped. All the energy consumed in Puerto Rico is from fossil fuels, while the agricultural sector marginally provides the needs of the consumer. In addition, the animal production sectors rely exclusively on imported feedstock for the preparation of feeds. There is a potential to develop an ethanol industry based initially on sugarcane, as the main feedstock and then turn to biomass from energy cane and or organic solid waste in the future. In order to move to the second generation of ethanol production, the cellulosic ethanol industry has to become economically viable. A limiting factor in the use of sugarcane is that only 40,000 ha are currently available to grow this crop. Potentially, Puerto Rico can produce 200 million liters of ethanol on this area which could substitute 5% of the gasoline that was consumed in 2007. On the other hand, biomass could be obtained from bagasse, energy cane, and from 1.3 metric tons of organic solid waste (food and yard waste) produced annually on the island. This strategy can provide a relief to decreasing the amounts of organic solid waste that end up in the landfills.