The main objective of this work has been the development of a virtual sensor (VS) based on the water balance dynamics of tomato crops in greenhouses, using coconut coir substrate as an example in this case. Such sensors are used to provide a viable and economical alternative to expensive or...

This paper presents a method based on a new interpretation of the concept productiveness in order to manage local energy resources through smart loads. The assumption that electricity demand is almost completely inelastic is changing as a result of deregulated wholesale markets. In this line,...

In the location of ambulance bases for medical assistance, an adequate time of response must be guaranteed for each area in the region covered, incurring the minimum operating costs. Several linear models (such as the maximal covering location problem, MCLP) have been developed for designing...

Free-drainage or "open" substrate system used for vegetable production in greenhouses is associated with appreciable NO3- leaching losses and drainage volumes. Simulation models of crop N uptake, N leaching, water use and drainage of crops in these systems will be useful for crop and water...

Mark Weisbrot (2008) has claimed that under the Chávez administration in Venezuela the share of pro-poor spending has increased, inequality has declined, poverty has fallen rapidly, and there has been a massive reduction in illiteracy. All of these conclusions are based on the use of heavily...

In this paper, an alternative skew Student-<italic>t</italic> family of distributions is studied. It is obtained as an extension of the generalized Student-<italic>t</italic> (GS-<italic>t</italic>) family introduced by McDonald and Newey [10]. The extension that is obtained can be seen as a reparametrization of the skewed GS-<italic>t</italic> distribution...

Theory and case-study evidence suggest that non-linearities are pervasive in the growth process. Growth empirics have attempted to characterize these non-linearities with regression trees, additively separable non-parametric estimates, or simple interaction terms. Each method requires specific...

This two-volume original reference work provides a comprehensive overview of development economics and comprises contributions by some of the leading scholars working in the field. Authors are drawn from around the world and write on a wide range of topics.

In 2004, the Chávez regime in Venezuela distributed the list of several million voters whom had attempted to remove him from office throughout the government bureaucracy, allegedly to identify and punish these voters. We match the list of petition signers distributed by the government to...