http://hdl.handle.net/2117/3699 2013-05-22T10:58:29Z http://hdl.handle.net/2117/17428 Title: Debates on sustainable development: towards a holistic view of reality Authors: Rios Osorio, Leonardo Alberto; Ruiz Lobato, Manuel; Álvarez del Castillo, Javier Abstract: The paper analyzes the concept of sustainable development in the light of the different interpretations existing on the issue since its appearance and establishment as an ideal to lead humanity’s line of progress. Within these interpretations, a characteristic generation of diverse debates can be appreciated, arising from different perspectives, academic as well as ideological, aiming at describing, clarifying and determining their conceptual reach. Based on these facts a model of categorization for these debates has developed, a model in which interpretations generated on the concept of sustainable development were catalogued into four realms: conceptual, contextual, academic and geopolitical. The configuration of these four areas of debate, as well as the recognition of the diversity of interpretations existing on sustainable development, is a reflection of the intrinsic complexity of the phenomena, which affect the natural and social world, both at the local and global level. The analysis of this complexity is based on the subjectivity, which is inherent to the interpretation of these phenomena, with permanent reference to the cultural context from which the diverse discourses were structured. This global perspective on the state-of-the-art controversy concerning the idea of sustainable development as an articulatory axis reveals the necessity of building epistemological models, which can give a new direction to scientific research. From these new models, based on the analysis of the holistic character of reality, the subjective and the objective must be integrated in the generation of knowledge, which contributes usefully to the unceasing reconstruction of our world-(view). 2013-01-18T15:24:30Z http://hdl.handle.net/2117/17427 Title: An epistemology for sustainability science: a proposal for the study of the health/disease phenomenon Authors: Rios Osorio, Leonardo Alberto; Ortiz Lobato, Manuel; Álvarez del Castillo, Javier Abstract: Epistemological approaches in classical science were grounded on the explanatory needs of the phenomena of their historical time. Nevertheless, our contemporary world shows challenging situations in which the explanatory models of normal sciences have not proved effective. One of these fields is the area of health, in which the complexity of pathological phenomena continuously overwhelms the capacity of the classical models of biomedical research to provide effective answers regarding their comprehension, prevention and control. In the last decade a new science of sustainability has emerged, grounded in general systems theory and the conceptual basis of sustainable development. This area has become a scientific possibility for transcending reductionist analyses of classical sciences, by means of systemic comprehension of contemporary phenomena within the economic, social, environmental, political and ecological domains. However, the literature shows few specific references to an epistemological approach that may establish the boundaries for a metatheoretical structure on which knowledge can be generated in the framework of this emerging scientific discipline. This paper proposes an epistemological model for analysis of the health–disease phenomenon from the point of view of sustainability science. 2013-01-18T15:16:33Z http://hdl.handle.net/2117/15788 Title: Marco conceptual para entender la sustentabilidad de los sistemas socioecológicos Authors: Salas-Zapata, Walter A.; Ríos-Osorio, Leonardo Alberto; Álvarez del Castillo, Javier 2012-05-07T15:57:11Z http://hdl.handle.net/2117/15398 Title: Bases conceptuales para una clasificación de los sistemas socioecológicos de la investigación en sostenibilidad Authors: Salas-Zapata, Walter A.; Ríos-Osorio, Leonardo Alberto; Álvarez del Castillo, Javier Abstract: En la investigación en sostenibilidad se estudia una gama tan amplia de sistemas socioecológicos, que el concepto de sostenibilidad con frecuencia solo tiene sentido en relación con el sistema particular de interés, dando lugar a una variedad, y a veces contradictoria, manera de entender la sostenibilidad. La investigación en sostenibilidad no podría proponer teorías sobre los sistemas sostenibles si cada investigación se ampara en un concepto diferente de sostenibilidad. En este ensayo nosotros proponemos una clasificación de los sistemas socioecológicos para demostrar cómo todos ellos pueden ser analizados bajo un mismo concepto de sostenibilidad. 2012-02-28T16:15:29Z http://hdl.handle.net/2117/15395 Title: La ciencia emergente de la sustentabilidad: de la práctica científica hacia la constitución de una ciencia Authors: Salas-Zapata, Walter A.; Ríos-Osorio, Leonardo Alberto; Álvarez del Castillo, Javier Abstract: El término ‘ciencia de la sustentabilidad’ se ha utilizado para referirse más a la actividad científica orientada a promover el paso de las sociedades hacia trayectorias sustentables, que para hacer alusión a un conjunto de principios bajo los cuales una comunidad científica pueda construir conocimiento de forma sistemática alrededor de un objeto de estudio, que es lo que caracteriza a una ciencia. Este ensayo sostiene la tesis que en el seno de esta actividad científica está emergiendo una ciencia de la sustentabilidad en el sentido moderno y no meramente una práctica científica. Esta afirmación tiene fundamento en el hecho de que es posible definir la resiliencia socioecológica de los sistemas como objeto de estudio de la ciencia de la sustentabilidad, que es el soporte de transdisciplinas como la economía ecológica, ecología política, ética ambiental, ecología industrial, ecología cultural y la agroecología; y además, este objeto de estudio está ontológica y epistemológicamente sustentado. 2012-02-28T16:02:05Z http://hdl.handle.net/2117/14987 Title: Durban añade más fracaso al ya acumulado desde Copenhague Authors: Xercavins, Josep 2012-02-07T09:21:54Z http://hdl.handle.net/2117/13169 Title: La crisis y la agenda climática: ¡una última década para cambiar de rumbo¡ Authors: Xercavins, Josep Abstract: Muy probablemente, la crisis más determinante del futuro de la vida humana en el planeta sea esta crisis climática. Tal vez con una única salvedad: el conjunto de llegadas a límites distintos, pero que se realimentan unos a otros (crisis climática con crisis energética, con crisis alimentaria, con crisis financiera, etc.), puede ser más determinante todavía; pero en cualquier caso, la componente climática de esta crisis global será, sin duda, su primer y más importante factor 2011-09-08T09:15:36Z http://hdl.handle.net/2117/12665 Title: Johannesburg: un pas endavant i dos passos enrere? Authors: Xercavins, Josep Abstract: L’autor, després d’una clarificadora anàlisi sobre el procés històric i d’evolució de la política internacional que ha conduït fins a Johannesburg, argumenta que la trobada a la ciutat sud-africana no ha estat realment sobre desenvolupament sostenible perquè, de fet, ha suposat un pas més dins del marc neoliberal internacional, avui hegemònic. 2011-05-27T11:11:47Z http://hdl.handle.net/2117/11554 Title: Analysis of major failures in Europe’s power grid Authors: Rosas Casals, Martí; Solé, Ricard V. Abstract: Power grids are prone to failure. Time series of reliability measures such as total power loss or energy not supplied can give significant account of the underlying dynamical behavior of these systems, specially when the resulting probability distributions present remarkable features such as an algebraic tail, usually considered the footprint of self-organization and the existence of critical points. In this paper, 7 years (from 2002 to 2008) of Europe’s transport of electricity network failure events have been analyzed and the best fit for this empirical data probability distribution is presented. With the actual span of available data and although there exists a moderate support for the power-law model, the relatively small amount of events contained in the function’s tail suggests that causal factors other than self-organization or a critical state might be significantly ruling these systems’ dynamics. 2011-02-28T08:56:01Z http://hdl.handle.net/2117/10487 Title: Conceptual maps: measuring learning processes of engineering students concerning sustainable development Authors: Segalàs Coral, Jorge; Ferrer Balas, Dídac; Mulder, Karel F. Abstract: In the 1990s, courses on sustainable development (SD) were introduced in technological universities. After some years of practice, there is increased interest in the evaluation of the most effective ways for teaching SD. This paper introduces the use of conceptual maps as a tool to measure the knowledge acquired by students when taking a Sustainability course. Pilot measurements have been made to evaluate the concepts and their interrelations in order to evaluate the students' learning. These measurements were carried out using a sample of more than 700 European students. To measure the learning outcomes of courses, the evaluation is done twice. Before the course starts, the students' previous knowledge on sustainability is measured; once the students have completed the course they are evaluated again. By comparing conceptual maps drawn by each student, the improvement of the students' knowledge is evaluated. This paper shows the measuring process, and points out the suitability of using conceptual maps for research in education. Moreover, the correlation between the learning outcomes the pedagogical techniques used in each course may indicate the effectiveness of the pedagogical strategies in education for sustainable development. 2010-12-01T15:35:45Z http://hdl.handle.net/2117/10486 Title: What has to be learnt for sustainability? A comparison of bachelor engineering education competences at three European universities Authors: Segalàs Coral, Jorge; Ferrer Balas, Dídac; Svanström, Magdalena; Lundqvist, Ulrika; Mulder, Karel F. Abstract: In a period of harmonisation of the higher education system in Europe, a question is if also learning about sustainability at the universities is converging and what advantages this may have. This paper is an effort to present and advance the work on describing desired sustainability competences for engineering Bachelor graduates in three technical universities (Chalmers in Sweden, DUT in The Netherlands and UPC-Barcelona in Spain) using the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) descriptors. The paper also sheds light on whether there is conformity or not in desired sustainability competences (or in how sustainable development (SD) competences are handled) at the three universities. For universities outside the EHEA, this paper gives hints on the type of sustainability competences that will be required from their first-cycle graduates should they want to continue with second-cycle studies within the EHEA. The results show that the three universities follow a similar pattern in the classification of the competences (Knowledge and understanding, Skills and abilities, and Attitudes) and that there are minor divergences with respect to the list of competences and the levels of learning that Bachelor students should have when graduating. Definition of competences is an area that needs development, and this paper is part of a learning process for the three universities. This study shows that there is improvement potential for all three universities when it comes to being explicit and exact in the description of the desired SD learning. 2010-12-01T15:13:58Z http://hdl.handle.net/2117/8577 Title: Evaluación de la degradación lipídica del salvado de arroz y de la eficacia de su conservación mediante tratamiento térmico Authors: Álvarez del Castillo, Lorenzo; Francesch Ollé, Maria; Esteve García, Enric; Álvarez del Castillo, María Dolores; Bonachera Fernández, N. 2010-08-04T10:44:07Z http://hdl.handle.net/2117/8176 Title: Caracterización química y nutritiva del salvado de arroz Authors: Álvarez del Castillo, Lorenzo; Francesch Ollé, Maria; Esteve García, Enric; Álvarez del Castillo, María Dolores; Salas Salvado, Jordi 2010-07-14T10:16:18Z http://hdl.handle.net/2117/7528 Title: What do engineering students learn in sustainability courses? The effect of the pedagogical approach Authors: Segalàs Coral, Jorge; Ferrer Balas, Dídac; Mulder, Karel F. Abstract: The introduction of sustainable development (SD) courses into engineering education has been a key goal for many technological universities, accreditation agencies and national and international university networks. This paper presents the results of a 5-year research project that analysed how SD competences were introduced into technological universities. To evaluate which pedagogical approach best facilitates SD learning, ten courses on sustainability from five European technological universities were analysed using conceptual maps as assessment tools. The findings show that: Students initially perceived sustainability as mainly related to technology, which they consider should be able to resolve the environmental problems of the planet. They sawlittle relevance in the social and attitudinal aspects of sustainability. This misunderstanding was partially redressed by the course. Courses that apply a more community-oriented and constructive, active learning pedagogical approach, increase students’ knowledge of SD. This paper presents the methodology and results of the research, as well as recommendations for the teaching of SD in technological universities. 2010-06-04T16:17:55Z http://hdl.handle.net/2117/7479 Title: Assessing European power grid reliability by means of topological measures Authors: Rosas Casals, Martí; Corominas Murtra, Bernat Abstract: Reliability assessment is crucial when dealing with complex systems, especially complex networks. Be they natural or man made, networks are able to sustain their functioning by means of a reliable set of components. The many functions a network can sustain are direct consequence of the topological structure that constraints and, at the same time, defines, the dynamical relation between its components. Therefore, some kind of relation between structure and dynamics should be expected to appear. In this paper, some of these relations that have been found for the European power grid are presented. Evidences for a critical relation between topology and dynamics are summarized, using some basic topological measures widely used in the developing complex networks paradigm. Finally, strategies for optimal management and operation of such networks are suggested. Description: Publicat originalment a: WIT transactions on ecology and the environment, 2009, vol. 121, p. 527-537 2010-06-02T08:55:51Z