Intractable policy failure: the case of bovine TB and badgers

The failure to eliminate bovine TB from the English and Welsh cattle herd represents a long-term intractable policy failure. Cattle-to-cattle transmission of the disease has been underemphasised in the debate compared with transmission from badgers despite a contested evidence base. Archival evidence shows that mythical constructions of the badger have shaped the policy debate. Relevant evidence was incomplete and contested; alternative framings of the policy problem were polarised and difficult to reconcile; and this rendered normal techniques of stakeholder management through co-option and mediation of little assistance

Mechanism of 2003, 2007 and 2009 earthquakes (S. Vicente Cape) and implications for the 1755 Lisbon earthquake

The San Vicente Cape region (SW Iberia) is of great seismological interest due to its tectonic complexity and for the occurrence of the 1755 Lisbon mega-earthquake. A structure capable of generating such large earthquake has not been convincingly found but authors agree with the possible occurrence in the future of a similar earthquake offshore of San Vicente Cape.We have studied the mechanism of three earthquakes in this area: 29 July 2003 (Mw = 5.3), 12 February 2007 (Mw = 6.1) and 17 December 2009 (Mw = 5.5) which throw light on the dynamics of the region. These earthquakes are the largest occurred in the last 40 years at the western of San Vicente Cape. From inversion of body waves and kinematic slip distribution, we have obtained that the three shocks have similar characteristics (dimensions, maximum slip, stress drop, source time function, focal depth and rupture velocity), but we can observe differences on geometry of the rupture that reflect the great seismotectonics complexity of the zone. The 2003 and 2007 focal mechanisms are similar, corresponding to thrusting motion but the 2009 earthquake has dip-slip motion on a vertical plane. The ruptures planes for the three shocks, deduced from the slip distribution, show ruptures on NE-SW planes, with the released energy propagating to NE direction, compatible with the regional horizontal compression in the NW-SE direction produced by the convergence between the Eurasian and African plates. This direction of faulting may be applied to the generation of the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, in terms of a complex rupture along NE-SW trending thrust faults at the Gorringe Bank, the Horseshoe Scarp and the Marques de Pombal Fault, with rupture propagating in NE direction toward the coast of Portugal and which may explain the large damage at Lisbon city

Seismic source in the Iberian-African plate boundary

The plate boundary between Iberia and Africa has been studied using data on seismicity and focal mechanisms. The region has been divided into three areas: A; the Gulf of Cadiz; B, the Betics, Alboran Sea and northern Morocco; and C, Algeria. Seismicity shows a complex behavior, large shallow earthquakes (h < 30 km) occur in areas A and C and moderate shocks in area B; intermediate-depth activity (30 < h < 150 km) is located in the depth earthquakes (h » 650 km) are located to the south of Granada. Moment rate, slip velocity and b values have been estimated for shallow shocks, and show similar characteristics for the Gulf of Cadiz and Algeria, and quite different ones for the central region. Focal mechanisms of 80 selected shallow earthquakes (8 ‡ mb ‡ 4) show thrust faulting in the Gulf of Cadiz and Algeria with horizontal NNW-SSE compression, and normal faulting in the Alboran Sea with E-W extension. Focal mechanisms of 26 intermediate-depth earthquakes in the Alboran Sea display vertical motions, with a predominant plane trending E-W. Solutions for very deep shocks correspond to vertical dip-slip along N-S trends. Frohlich diagrams and seismic moment tensors show different behavior in the Gulf of Cadiz, Betic-Alboran Sea and northern Morocco, and northern Algeria for shallow events. The stress pattern of intermediate-depth and very deep earthquakes has different directions: vertical extension in the NW-SE direction for intermediate depth earthquakes, and tension and pressure axes dipping about 45 ° for very deep earthquakes. Regional stress pattern may result from the collision between the African plate and Iberia, with extension and subduction of lithospheric material in the Alboran Sea at intermediate depth. The very deep seismicity may be correlated with older subduction processes

Mujeres en un Estado ideal: la utopía romántica del fourierismo y la historia de las emociones

La història de les emocions proporciona un seguit de conceptes i teories útils per a l'anàlisi del romanticisme, considerant-lo com una mica més que un moviment artístic, literari i cultural, potser un veritable règim emocional que va fer canviar Europa i Amèrica tant com les altres revolucions de la seva època, les de caràcter polític i econòmic. L'article aplica aquesta perspectiva a un estudi de cas: el del grup de dones de Cadis que van sostenir cinc periòdics successius a la ciutat entre 1856 i 1866. I mostra que la filiació d'aquelles publicacions en el moviment del socialisme utòpic d'arrel fourierista va ser sobrevinguda, així com la seva paral·lela militància feminista. Va ser la sensibilitat romàntica d'aquell grup la que ho va mantenir unit com una comunitat emocional i li va dotar d'una afinitat amb les idees de Charles Fourier.The history of emotions brings about a series of concepts and theories useful to the analysis of romanticism, considering it as something more than an artistic, literary and cultural movement; maybe as a real emotional regime which made Europe and America change as much as the other revolutions of the time, the political and economic ones. The article applies that perspective to a case study: the one with the group of women in Cádiz who held five successive journals in the city between 1856 and 1866. And it shows that the affiliation of those publications in the movement of utopian socialism of a Fourierist root was sudden, as was its parallel feminist militancy. It was the romantic sensibility of that group which kept it united like an emotional community and gave it an affinity to Charles Fourier’s ideas.La historia de las emociones proporciona una serie de conceptos y teorías útiles para el análisis del romanticismo, considerándolo como algo más que un movimiento artístico, literario y cultural, tal vez un verdadero régimen emocional que hizo cambiar a Europa y América tanto como las otras revoluciones de su época, las de carácter político y económico. El artículo aplica esa perspectiva a un estudio de caso: el del grupo de mujeres de Cádiz que sostuvieron cinco periódicos sucesivos en la ciudad entre 1856 y 1866. Y muestra que la filiación de aquellas publicaciones en el movimiento del socialismo utópico de raíz fourierista fue sobrevenida, así como su paralela militancia feminista. Fue la sensibilidad romántica de aquel grupo la que lo mantuvo unido como una comunidad emocional y le dotó de una afinidad con las ideas de Charles Fourier

PRO-DAIRY Annual Report 2009-2010

PRO-DAIRY program Annual Repor

What are we teaching with textbooks? Electricity and electronics on technology 3º ESO

Este trabajo trata de dar respuestas al interrogante: ¿Qué estamos enseñando con los libros de texto en Educación Secundaria Obligatoria? En primer lugar, revisamos los trabajos realizados sobre estos materiales en España y, a pesar de la importancia que tienen en nuestro sistema educativo, no hemos encontrado muchos que se hayan ocupado de aquellos que se elaboraron durante la Reforma LOE. Nos centramos en algunos elementos que consideramos fundamentales en estos recursos didácticos: la estructura de las lecciones y los tipos de contenidos (conceptos, procedimientos y actitudes) a través del análisis de las actividades de aprendizaje planteadas por seis libros de texto de editoriales conocidas, relativas al bloque “Electricidad y electrónica” de Tecnología de 3º ESO, y su adecuación o no a la normativa vigente en la CARM. Los resultados muestran algunas de las carencias y deficiencias existentes, y que los libros de texto, en general, no se acomodan a lo que marca el currículum oficial