96491 research outputs found
Sort by
Carrot first, stick second? Environmental policy-mix sequencing and green technologies
No full textEco-innovations are considered key in the transition towards a more sustainable economy. However, since there are several barriers to the adoption of eco-innovations, different instruments have been proposed to encourage their uptake, leading to instrument mixes. Analysis of these mixes has been scarce in the eco-innovation literature and mostly focused on static rather than dynamic combinations of instruments. This paper tries to cover this gap by assessing the sequencing of instruments to promote eco-innovation. To that aim we use a panel database of investments in green technologies by Spanish firms between 2010–2020. Our results show that the order in which the instruments are introduced (sequencing) affects the adoption of eco-innovation, although the effective sequencing effect slightly differs for different environmental technological innovation types (cleaner production vs. end-of-pipe). In both cases, using subsidies (“carrots”) first and then using environmental taxes (“sticks”) positively and significantly influence the adoption of environmental technologies. Results from heterogeneous analysis confirms that this is especially true for small and medium firms. Within carrots, it seems tax credits and subsidies are substitutes, whatever the sequence of their introduction is. These results have clear policy implications which cannot be derived from analyses of static policy mixes. They suggest that, if the aim is to promote the adoption of eco-innovations, carrots should be used first, and then sticks should be adopted. In addition, it warns against using tax credits and subsidies together, given their redundancy in promoting eco-innovation. If subsidies are introduced after tax credits have already been applied (or the other way around), substantial inefficiencies can be expected, increasing the costs of eco-innovation promotion without any added value in terms of effectiveness
Policymaking in Times of Crisis
No full textGovernments consistently deal with crises, but some are larger than others, some are endogenously created, and some are exogenously imposed. This article introduces a Special Issue of the Journal in which 14 sets of contributors assess various elements of policymaking in times of crisis. We divide the contributions into those assessing public opinion responsiveness, institutional design and response, and identity-politics. As crises appear to be increasingly common, we assess their impacts on the policy process, concluding that no understanding of policymaking in general can be complete if it does not apply to policymaking in times of crisis
Resistant insistent persistent: A global call by mental health nursing leaders
No full textIn recent years, the global mental health landscape has shifteddramatically. Rising rates of mental illness and distress, com-pounded by geopolitical instability, climate-related trauma andsystemic inequities, have placed unprecedented pressure on men-tal health systems worldwide (World Health Organization 2022,2025). Amid this crisis, mental health nurses—who comprisenearly half of the global mental health workforce—remainunder-recognised, under-resourced and under-represented inglobal and national leadership and policymaking (World HealthOrganization 2025; Jackson et al. 2025). The November 2025 Mental Health Nursing Leaders' Summit in Barcelona, Spain,marks a pivotal moment to reclaim visibility, assert disciplinaryself-determination and chart a transformative path forward
Valorisation of vineyard pruning residues into CO2-activated biochar: optimisation, modelling, and application in fixed-bed columns for pesticide removal from water
No full text[eng] Global water scarcity arises not only from limited availability but also from declining quality, where contaminants of emerging concern, particularly pesticides, play a significant role. At the same time, over half of the ~2 million tonnes of vineyard pruning residues (VPR) produced annually in Spain are burned in open fields, causing air pollution and the loss of a valuable lignocellulosic resource. This thesis addresses both challenges by exploring the synthesis of CO2-activated biochar from VPR and its optimisation as an engineered adsorbent for pesticide removal from water, using experimental design to investigate 14 relevant variables and targeting acetamiprid (ACE), metalaxyl (MET) and penconazole (PEN). The study is complemented by comprehensive physicochemical characterisation, kinetic, isotherm, and breakthrough curve modelling, tests under competitive adsorption and secondary effluent conditions, and predictive modelling. Plackett-Burman screening identified biomass bed height as the only significant factor, as it governed CO2 diffusion during activation and the balance between yield and adsorption capacity. Response surface optimisation showed that pyrolysis time did not influence adsorption, enabling direct heating to activation, while activation temperature and time dominated porosity development and yield loss. Yield emerged as a surrogate for activation level, following a parabolic trend: capacity increased as yield decreased due to pore development, but declined under overactivation because of micropore collapse and ash accumulation. Activation at 800 °C for 80 min provided the best compromise between yield loss and adsorption performance, and deashing reduced ash content below 1 %, doubled surface area to 1247 m2/g, increased carbon content, and raised ACE, MET and PEN capacities to 283, 196 and 346 mg/g, surpassing reported sorbents and indicating potential uses beyond water treatment. However, analysis based on adsorption capacity per gram of precursor biomass showed that lower activation without deashing may be preferable when prioritising sustainability or cost-effectiveness. A model developed to predict average pore width enabled the selection of activation conditions that aligned pore size with pollutant size: narrower pores favoured adsorption of smaller molecules such as ACE, while broader pores at higher activation enhanced the removal of larger pesticides such as MET and PEN. Characterisation suggested π-π interactions and hydrogen bonding for ACE and MET, which fitted pseudo-second-order I kinetics and the Freundlich isotherm, and hydrophobic interactions and partitioning governing PEN, which followed Elovich kinetics and the Langmuir isotherm in single-component tests but shifted to pseudo-second-order kinetics under competition. Despite slower kinetics, PEN achieved the highest capacities, confirming its strong affinity for hydrophobic domains and the suitability of the adsorbent for pesticides of differing polarity. Continuous adsorption experiments in fixed-bed columns targeting MET and using a Doehlert design indicated intraparticle diffusion as the dominant mass transfer resistance, attributed to the narrow pores generated at 800 °C for 60 min. Consequently, increasing bed height and reducing flow rate improved bed utilisation by extending contact time, while initial concentration showed no significant effect. Under optimal conditions, MET achieved breakthrough and saturation capacities of ~100 and 170 mg/g, while ACE, a smaller molecule, reached significantly higher capacities and longer operating times. Breakthrough modelling indicated that the Yan model provided the best fits, although its parameters were empirical. Tests in ACE-MET mixtures and real secondary effluent showed that competitive adsorption did not reduce total bed capacity, and effluent organic matter mainly increased diffusion resistance, while micropores remained preferentially accessible to target pesticides by excluding bulkier fractions. Overall, this thesis demonstrates that vineyard pruning residues can be converted into CO2-activated biochar optimised for high pesticide adsorption performance, providing a solid basis for future scale-up and integration into advanced water treatment systems within a circular-economy framework aligned with the cascade use principle.[cat] L’escassetat global d’aigua s’explica tant per la seva disponibilitat limitada com pel deteriorament en la qualitat, en què els contaminants emergents, especialment els pesticides, hi tenen un paper clau. Paral·lelament, més de la meitat dels prop de 2 milions de tones anuals de residus de poda de vinya (RPV) generats a Espanya es cremen al camp, fet que contribueix a la contaminació atmosfèrica i suposa la pèrdua d’un recurs lignocel·lulòsic valuós. Aquesta tesi afronta aquests reptes mitjançant la síntesi de biocarbó activat amb CO2 a partir d’RPV i la seva optimització com a adsorbent per eliminar pesticides de l’aigua, emprant un disseny experimental per analitzar 14 variables d’interès i centrant-se en acetamiprid (ACE), metalaxil (MET) i penconazole (PEN). L’estudi es completa amb una caracterització fisicoquímica exhaustiva, la modelització de cinètiques, isotermes i corbes de ruptura, assajos d’adsorció competitiva i en efluent secundari, i el desenvolupament de models predictius. El cribatge Plackett-Burman va identificar l’alçada del llit de biomassa com l’únic factor significatiu, ja que controla la difusió del CO2 durant l’activació i l’equilibri entre el rendiment i la capacitat d’adsorció. L’optimització per superfície de resposta va mostrar que el temps de piròlisi no afectava l’adsorció, permetent escalfar directament fins l’activació, mentre que la temperatura i el temps d’activació dominaven el desenvolupament de la porositat i la pèrdua de rendiment. El rendiment va sorgir com a indicador del grau d’activació amb una tendència parabòlica: la capacitat augmentava amb la disminució del rendiment per la formació de porus, però dequeia amb la sobreactivació pel col·lapse dels microporus i l’acumulació de cendres. L’activació a 800 °C durant 80 min va proporcionar el millor equilibri, mentre que el rentat àcid va reduir el contingut en cendres per sota de l’1 %, va duplicar l’àrea superficial fins a 1247 m2/g, va incrementar el contingut de carboni i va elevar les capacitats d’ACE, MET i PEN fins a 283, 196 i 346 mg/g, superant els adsorbents documentats i suggerint aplicacions més enllà del tractament d’aigua. Tanmateix, l’anàlisi basada en la capacitat d’adsorció per gram de biomassa precursora va indicar que una activació més suau sense rentat pot ser preferible quan es prioritzen la sostenibilitat o el cost. El model desenvolupat per predir l’amplada mitjana dels porus va permetre seleccionar les condicions d’activació que alineaven la mida dels porus amb la mida del contaminant: els porus més estrets afavorien l’adsorció de molècules petites com l’ACE, mentre que III els porus més amplis obtinguts amb activacions més severes milloraven l’eliminació de pesticides més grans com el MET i el PEN. La caracterització va suggerir la presència d’interaccions π-π i enllaços d’hidrogen per l’ACE i MET, que seguien cinètiques de pseudo-segon ordre i la isoterma de Freundlich, mentre que en el cas del PEN predominaven les interaccions hidrofòbiques i la partició, amb cinètiques d’Elovich i un ajust a Langmuir en assaigs monocomponent, però amb un canvi cap a cinètiques de pseudo-segon ordre en condicions competitives. Tot i una cinètica més lenta, el PEN va assolir les capacitats més altes, confirmant la seva forta afinitat pels dominis hidrofòbics i la idoneïtat de l’adsorbent per a pesticides de polaritat diversa. Els experiments d’adsorció en continu en columnes de llit fix orientats al MET i basats en un disseny Doehlert van indicar la difusió intrapartícula com a resistència dominant, atribuïble als porus estrets generats a 800 °C durant 60 min. En conseqüència, l’augment de l’alçada del llit i la reducció del cabal van millorar l’aprofitament de la columna en ampliar el temps de contacte, mentre que la concentració inicial no va mostrar un efecte significatiu. En condicions òptimes, MET va assolir capacitats a la ruptura i saturació d’uns 100 i 170 mg/g, mentre que l’ACE, de menor mida, va mostrar valors superiors i temps d’operació més llargs. La modelització de les corbes de ruptura va indicar que el model de Yan proporcionava els millors ajustos, tot i que els seus paràmetres eren empírics. Els assajos amb mescles ACE-MET i amb efluent secundari real van mostrar que l’adsorció competitiva no reduïa la capacitat total del llit, i que la matèria orgànica de l’efluent incrementava principalment la resistència difusiva, mentre que els microporus es mantenien preferentment accessibles als pesticides objectiu en excloure les fraccions orgàniques més voluminoses. En conjunt, aquesta tesi demostra que els residus de poda de vinya es poden convertir en biocarbó activat amb CO2 optimitzat per assolir una elevada eficàcia en l’eliminació de pesticides, establint les bases per al seu escalat i integració en sistemes avançats de tractament d’aigua dins d’un marc d’economia circular basat en l’ús en cascada de la biomassa
Improving air pollution source apportionment in size-segregated PM using Pb isotope based Bayesian mixing models and health implications of heavy metals in Tarragona (Spain)
No full textA total of 75 outdoor PM10, PM2.5, and PM1 samples from 14 schools, and 9 samples from potential local emission sources, were collected and analysed for their metallic content and lead (Pb) isotope ratios in 2 seasonal campaigns in Tarragona (Catalonia, Spain) to identify and apportion contamination sources and to assess associated health risks. Lead was predominantly found in PM1, and although its levels were below air quality standards, its Enrichment Factors (EF), along with those of other potentially toxic elements (Cd, Cr, Cu and Sb), indicated extremely severe enrichment in all PM sizes. Seasonal differentiation in Pb enrichment was particularly significant in PM1 during the cold campaign. This suggests an anthropogenic origin, mainly from combustion processes such as road traffic and a municipal solid waste incinerator, as supported by profiles of other metals (Cu, V and Zn) and the spatial distribution of the EFPb, respectively. Non-radiogenic Pb isotope ratios (208Pb/204Pb and 206Pb/204Pb) indicated a geogenic origin in some PM10 samples, based on their similarity to the geochronology of specific Spanish ore samples. However, radiogenic ratios (208Pb/207Pb and 206Pb/207Pb) pointed to coal-fired electrical plants (EGUs) and road traffic as the sources of the majority of the samples. These findings were corroborated by EF spatial distribution maps and by our previous study coupling air masses back trajectories with C and N isotopes in the same PM samples. Bayesian mixing models using both 204Pb- and 207Pb-normalised Pb isotope ratios estimated sources' contributions as follows: i) municipal solid waste incinerator (at least 10 % in PM10 and up to 60 % in both PM2.5 and PM1); ii) road traffic (up to 40 % for all size fractions); iii) coal-fired EGUs (around 20 % for all size fractions); and iv) geogenic particles (<10 % for all size fractions). Despite this strong contribution of anthropogenic sources, the potential health impacts of potentially toxic elements exposure were low, i.e., 3 additional cancer cases for adults per million of people due to Pb exposure, which nonetheless is comparable to levels observed in cities with populations 30 or more times larger than that of Tarragona
El tortuoso camino jurídico hacia el Acuerdo de retirada y el Acuerdo de comercio y cooperación entre Reino Unido y la Unión Europea
No full textEste trabajo se centra en analizar el contenido del art. 50 TUE y su aplicación en el proceso de retirada de Reino Unido. El Brexit ha evidenciado la complejidad del proceso de salida de la Unión Europea y los problemas de aplicación que, en la práctica, suscita el contenido del art. 50 TUE. Con todo, el examen del caso permite concluir que la existencia de un procedimiento de retirada explícitamente previsto en el Tratado ha servido para proteger los intereses de la Unión, garantizando el derecho de retirada unilateral de todo Estado miembro
Nanopartícules d’alginat com a nou sistema d’alliberament de fàrmacs pel tractament de l’Alzheimer
No full textTreballs Finals de Grau de Química, Facultat de Química, Universitat de Barcelona, Any: 2025, Tutors: Jordi Ignés Mullol, Santiago Grijalvo TorrijoNanotechnology has emerged as a promising approach for developing innovative treatments for neurodegenerative diseases such as AD.
The limited effectiveness of current therapies is largely attributed to the poor ability of drugs to cross the BBB. Recent advancements in biocompatible NPs have led to the creation of drug delivery systems (DDS) that offer minimal toxicity, superior BBB penetration, and improved transport of drugs with low water solubility.
In this work, the application of ALG NPs for the treatment of AD is considered, with a focus on antioxidant therapy.
Using the emulsion method, NPs with optimized properties for brain drug delivery were successfully synthesized. Key formulation parameters were adjusted to achieve a highly biocompatible and stable system, with particle sizes averaging around 12 nm (close to the ideal size for effective BBB penetration).
A key aspect of the research involved optimizing surface charge, as positively charged NPs exhibit higher uptake across the BBB. However, attempts to achieve this through surfactant or cationic polymer coatings presented challenges, including undesirable increases in particle size and polydispersity.
Ferulic acid (FA), a phytochemical with potent antioxidant activity, was selected as a model drug. Its successful encapsulation and loading into the NPs were confirmed using HPLC, demonstrating the system’s effectiveness in drug incorporation.
To enhance therapeutic specificity, the NPs were functionalized with mitochondrial-targeting ligands. Of the ligands tested, (3-carboxypropyl)-triphenylphosphonium bromide (TPP) showed the most promising results. In contrast, the synthetic dendrons “G1” and “G2” faced significant solubility limitations and resulted in low functionalization yields. The most efficient strategy for ligand attachment proved to be the pre-functionalization of ALG before NPs synthesis.
Although further optimization and comprehensive biological evaluation are necessary, the findings of this study establish a solid foundation for future research in the development of targeted nanotherapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases like AD
The Impact of Fare Reductions on Public Transportation Use
No full textThis paper empirically examines how consumers respond to reductions in public transportation fares by analyzing changes in their use of public transport. We exploit a policy that lowered fares across several municipalities in the metropolitan area of Barcelona. Our findings indicate a 39 percent increase in public transportation use during the year following the policy’s implementation. To assess whether the visibility of the policy shaped this response, we also examine the effects of the subsequent announcement of its financing scheme, nearly a year later. The announcement clarified that the fare reduction would be funded through a tax on homeowners. Once taxpayers became fully aware of both the fare reduction and its financing mechanism, their use of public transportation increased further, supporting the hypothesis that the visibility of public policies can shape individuals’ behavior regarding their use of public services. Finally, we estimate partial welfare effects, identifying both winners and losers
Transition to post-compulsory education according to migrant background and gender in Catalonia: Exploring the effect of non-native student concentration
No full textThe transition to post-compulsory education represents a fundamental educational decision that shapes young people's social and employment opportunities. However, these choices vary depending on social factors, such as socioeconomic background, immigrant origins, and gender, among others. The concentration of non-native students in schools may also influence these educational decisions, potentially disadvantaging students from lower social backgrounds. (...
Limited farsightedness in priority-based matching
No full textWe introduce the horizon-
vNM stable set to study one-to-one priority-based matching problems with limited farsightedness. We show that, once agents are sufficiently farsighted, the matching obtained from the Top Trading Cycles (TTC) algorithm becomes stable: a singleton set consisting of the TTC matching is a horizon-
vNM stable set if the degree of farsightedness is greater than three times the number of agents in the largest cycle of the TTC. Our main results do not hold per se for many-to-one priority-based matching problems: more coordination and cooperation on behalf of the agents are required. In the presence of couples, farsightedness may improve both efficiency and stability. When each agent owns an object, a singleton set consisting of the TTC matching is the unique horizon-
vNM stable set